


like a river flows

by megleah



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Blood and Violence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Miscarriage, Organized Crime, Porn With Plot, Romance, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2019-08-17 01:05:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 68,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16506275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megleah/pseuds/megleah
Summary: Who knew you could fall in love with a crime lord after robbing him blind?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Who else wants to punch the writers of this show in the face? You cannot leave the show with that ending!  
> Anyways, this fandom has consumed me and the fics I've read are amazing  
> This is my contribution... it's absolute trash, I'm warning you.

A dream.  
This was a dream, right?

All Beth had to do was snap her fingers and blink a few times. Then the gun in her shaking hands would melt away from her fingers, the scene unfolding in front of her would dissipate into thin air, and she would wake up. She would wake up.

No. This was real. The gun was cold and heavy, as was the glare she was receiving from the end of the dining room table.  
“So what do you think? You got what it takes?” The lazy drawl from Rio’s lips made Beth’s heart stop momentarily, and not in a good way like it normally did. She paid no attention to Dean, his body hunched over, faced battered. He deserved that beating, maybe not from Rio, but still.

Powerless. That’s how she felt.  
They held a silent staring match, their laboured breaths filling the air.  
“Time’s ticking,” Rio spat out, shifting in his seat, “You wanna be the boss, don’t have all day to make decisions.”  
What did he want her to do? She wasn't going to shoot him, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to risk a murder charge for her pathetic husband. The gun probably wasn’t even loaded, Beth wouldn’t put it passed him to pull something like that.  
Taking a deep breath, and loosening her grip on the barrel, she sat down at the edge of the table. The tears had stopped, which was good, because she couldn’t be an emotional wreck to do this.  
Carefully, Beth ejected the magazine and opened the slide, checking for any bullets. The chamber was full. All the air left her lungs in one breath. “Are you here to kill me or is this another test?”

“You’re holding the gun darlin’, I can’t do anything from here.” His lips curved into a half smile.  
“And you expect me to shoot you? What is this Rio?” She asked incredulously.  
He only chuckled and turned to Dean. “Listen car man, don’t go do something stupid, don’t call the cops. You got it?” Dean nodded meekly.

Rio got up and walked over to Beth, yanking the gun from her and tucking it into his front pocket. She flinched as he bent down to her - his lips brushing the shell of her ear, hands coming to rest on the back of her chair.  
“You sure make a pretty picture when you’re scared darlin’,” he pulled back and stood up straight, taking a moment to smooth out his shirt, “But you’ve got to be a grown up about this. Come on, you, me, bedroom now.”  
Rio had already begun walking away, only looking over his shoulder to see Beth’s stunned expression. Her imagination had started running wild with innuendos, flashes of skin against skin, tanned fingers sliding down pale thighs, hot kisses pressed into the nape of her neck…  
“To talk, we ain’t there yet darlin’.” He huffed out, as if he could read her mind. Beth threw a cautious glance over at Dean before getting up and following Rio into the bedroom.

She locked the door behind her, not wanting Dean to follow, or hear anything he didn’t need to hear. Rio had perched himself on the edge of the bed, waiting. Wearily, Beth moved to stand in front of him. They remained still, taking a moment to feel the tension, the betrayal on both ends.

“Why?” Rio finally asked, his voice cold and dripping with disappointment.  
“You- you were going to kill me.”  
“What gave you that idea?” His eyebrows shot up.  
“You told me you had a kid, past tense, had. You looked at me like you wanted to murder me! And then you got all tense and told me to go home!” Beth shouted, throwing her hands up.  
“I was angry Elizabeth. You threw a pair of keys in my face.”  
She had no response to that. The moment the sharp metal had hit his face, she knew she’d made a mistake. But she didn’t appreciate being left in the dark. If only she’d known that the truck was empty, none of this would have happened.  
“You fucked up badly, and now you’re gonna pay for it.” He continued, pushing himself off the bed, and for a moment Beth wondered if this was when he reached for his gun and blew her brains out. He stalked towards her, invading her personal space, pushing her back until she hit the wall. “You can’t get rid of me, _ever_ ,” their eyes locked again, a war simmering between them, “And you need to get that through that pretty little head of yours.”

And just like that, he was off her, heading towards the door.  
“Rio wait.” The words came out before she could stop herself. He turned his head back slightly, eyeing her. “Why’d you do that to Dean, why not me?”  
Why did she ask? She didn’t care that he’d beat Dean up, though, if Rio was angry, why didn’t he get to her first?  
“I’ve got other things planned for you Elizabeth. Besides, we both know that motherfucker deserved it.”

Beth didn’t follow him out as he left. All she could do was sink to the floor.

What had she done?

 

* * *

 

 

Beth had spent the next week walking on eggshells. Tossing and turning each night, feeling apprehensive about what was to come. The girls didn’t take the news of Rio’s return well - there was a lot of yelling from Ruby, a lot of swearing from Annie, a lot of questions from both. Beth didn’t go into too much detail, because honestly, the memory of it made her uncomfortable.  
She didn’t want to admit this to herself, but seeing Rio _like that_ \- knuckles raw, brow furrowed, lips bloody, it made something horrible, something carnal bloom in the pit of her stomach and she wasn’t sure how she was going to ignore it.

Dean went mute over the whole thing, said he’d keep his mouth shut. She still wanted to ask what happened before she came home to find them like that, but a part of her didn’t want to know. Besides, Beth had to remember that she was still angry with him, and that the divorce conversation she’d been mulling over was going to happen soon.

Now they were waiting for Rio’s next move.

It came early on a Monday morning. Beth had just dropped the kids off at school when her phone buzzed. It was an unknown number, but she knew.

 _“One of my guys is coming to pick you up in an hour, be ready.”_  
_“The girls?”_  
_“No. Only you.”_

Soon after a black car pulled up into her driveway. She peeked through the window, watching as a man came to her front door. She didn’t recognize him, it wasn’t one of Rio’s usual men. She knew he was at the door but even so the loud knock made her jump.  
“Mrs. Boland?” he asked as she opened the door.  
“That’s me.”  
“Let’s go,” he said, already turning away.  
She stopped him and asked if she could fetch a jacket first, running inside to grab a black coat. The Michigan winter had not yet acquiesced to the fact that spring was around the corner and Beth was so ready for the warmer weather.

The car ride was long and uncomfortable, which only gave Beth more time to think about the fact that she had no idea where they were going. For all she knew this could be leading up to her death.  
They drove a little further into the city than what Beth was familiar with. They stopped in front of a warehouse, a different one to what the girls had gone to before. This warehouse was much nicer - and much, much bigger. It was squashed between what looked like office buildings.  
The walls were made from tightly packed red bricks, and the windows were tinted. It was the sort of building that was supposed to look rundown, that’s how Beth always saw it in the movies. And if it were, then this was when a rough looking guy dragged her through those tall metal doors and blew her head off. But it wasn’t. It was neat, clean and new.  
Rio’s guy (she’d have to ask his name at some point, but something in the way he looked at her made her seconded guess asking) took her arm and pulled her along with him through the doors.

Inside the warehouse was no different. Neat rows of shelves lined the walls, all of them stacked with boxes. The rest of the place was filled with furniture and old machinery. Beth looked to her right, noting a metal staircase leading to the top floor. Pulling out of the vice grip that encased her arm, she began making her way around the shelves.

“Why did you bring me here?” Beth called out warily to the guy, who was still standing by the door.  
“Boss wants to see you,” he said, cocking his head towards the staircase, “His office is up there.”  
Beth nodded slowly and brushed passed him, climbing the stairs, her heart beating harder with each step. She’d reached a closed door. When she knocked, all she could hear was an incoherent mumble, but opened the door anyway.  
The first thing that hit her was the large beams of light bursting through the open windows. It made everything it touched look like gold. Rio was sitting behind a desk in the middle of the room. There was a draw next to it, and a few boxes scattered around the room, but other than that, the space was pretty much empty.  
Rio was hunched over in concentration, scribbling on a piece of paper. She watched him for a while, then cleared her throat, unsure of what to do. He looked up at her, his face expressionless.  
“Elizabeth.” He greeted, dropping his pen. “Sit.”  
Beth awkwardly moved forward, pulled out a chair in front of the desk and sat down uncomfortably.

“How’s your week been, you getting your house in order?” Rio moved to sit on the top of the desk in front of her.  
“I, I - it’s complicated.” Beth sighed.  
“I don’t think it is, but I’ll let you deal with that.” He chuckled dryly.  
“Why am I here Rio?”  
“I have a job for you.” Beth nodded, waiting for an explanation.  
“I’ve got one last shipment of fake cash coming in at the end of the week. I need you to move it for me.”  
She considered it for a moment - not that it would make a difference. She’d have to do whatever he told her. “How much?”  
“Two million.” She swallowed thickly. Okay, that was more than she was expecting. But they’d done it before with five hundred thousand, they could do it again.  
“Okay, well I guess I’m going to have to get more secret shoppers but -”  
“Nuh uh sweetheart,” he interrupted her, “You’re doing this one your own, what if one of your little helpers decides to keep the money? I’m not dealing with that crap again.”

He was talking about Mary Pat. That really wouldn’t have been a problem. She’d come to Beth the day after Rio’s arrest to tell her she’s moving back home with her parents. The whole experience with Boomer had shaken her up enough to leave Detroit. (That and the whole blackmail thing was taking up a lot of her time and she had three kids).

“If you’re worried about that happening again, it won’t. I dealt with it.” Beth said, trying to muster as much confidence as she could.  
“I don’t care Elizabeth. Only you, and your girls if you want. But I suggest you keep as many people as possible out of it. I need it done by the end of the month.” He snapped.  
Beth choked on an indignant laugh. He was joking. He had to be. “That’s three weeks!”  
“Well that’s what you get for trying to fuck me over.” His eyes narrowed to slits. “And that’s not it. You saw all the boxes when you came in yeah? After you bring in the two million, you’re clearing out this entire warehouse.”

Beth glared at him, eyes wide, saying _you’ve got to be kidding me._  
“Don’t worry, you’ll get some help there, and you have a week to do that.” Rio said with a slight smile. It felt fake and Beth hated it.  
“Rio, we- I- this place is huge. How do you expect us to do it in that amount of time?!”  
The plastic smile left as soon as it arrived, replaced with a cool, dangerous stare. Instantly he was off the desk and his arm shot out, fingers wrapping around Beth’s neck.  
The pad of his thumb lifted her chin, forcing her big blue eyes to meet his obsidian orbs.  
“You really wanna play this game?” His voice came out in a low rumble, angry but still dripping with something Beth could only describe as the most erotic thing she’s ever heard, and she melted into her chair.  
He was standing far too close, practically between her legs and he felt so warm and he smelled so good and …

 _No. We’re not doing this now_ , Beth told herself. Peeling her spine off the back of the chair, she straightened and blinked away the lust clouding her eyes.

“Fine. A week.” She finally said.  
“Good girl.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth does what she's told, and Rio stays angry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this kinda fast. there's probably a lot of mistakes, I'm apologizing now.

They did it. Don’t ask them how, but they did.

Two million split three ways gave the girls each six hundred and sixty six thousand something to spend. They were going to have to up their game big time if they didn’t want to get caught, so Beth expanded their current map of store locations. She even went as far as to list places that were outside of Detroit.

They had a new system: go to as many retailers as possible, then return everything at a different retailer. Occasionally, Annie would return the things Beth bought, and vice versa, that way they couldn’t raise suspicion.

Ruby didn’t do too much shopping, which only made the task harder. Beth couldn’t blame her though, she was trying to save her marriage after what happened at the hospital. So Beth took most of Ruby’s work.  
Annie was actually doing okay. She and Greg were on good terms, and Sadie was super happy at the new school. Of course she missed her kid like crazy, but it was worth it, seeing her baby flourish.

Boomer had gotten off her case finally which was good, because it meant that she could take time off work to clean cash.  
The only good thing about this for Beth was the fact that Dean hadn’t intervened, hadn’t tried to stop any of this from happening. He hadn’t even asked questions, and it was so unlike him to not be nosy. It made Beth weary, it made her go back to the question, what had Rio said to him?  
Every time she tried to bring it up with him, he’d begin to say something, then choke on his words and scuffle away nervously.

Now they were here, three weeks later, standing in front of the warehouse doors.  
The grip Beth had on the duffle bag in her hands was so tight it turned her knuckles white. The sooner they got this done, the sooner she could get home to her babies - or a bar, these three weeks had been exhausting and she really needed a drink.

They had been waiting for a while, and just when they thought Rio wasn’t going to show, he finally appeared through the door with two of his usual guys.

“Ladies.” Was all he said.  
Beth stepped closer, handing him the bag and he carelessly tossed over to the side.  
“Count it.” He mumbled to the guy on his right.  
“You don’t trust us?” Beth chided.  
“Call me funny, but no. I don’t.” He cocked his head to the side, giving her a cold look.

They stood there quietly while the money was being counted. The girls had gotten back into the car for comfort’s sake, but Beth stayed, fixated on the wads of cash as they moved in and out of the bag. However, she was pulled out of her trance when Rio spoke.  
“Oh, and Elizabeth, the warehouse? I need you to start tomorrow.”  
This made the blood boil beneath her skin.  
“Excuse me?”  
“You heard me.” Rio stepped in closer to her.  
“Jesus Rio, we need some time in between, we just gave you two million dollars!” Beth shouted, her hands curling into fists at her sides.

Another step closer.

“I don’t give a fuck.”  
“And if I just don’t show up tomorrow?”

Another step closer

“That’s fine, but then you can’t come whining to me like a little bitch when you don’t like the consequences.” He stated cooly. Beth rolled her eyes like an annoyed teenager.  
“Oh yeah, what are you going to do? Beat the crap out of me like you did to Dean?”

One last step.

The distance was closed. They stood with noses almost touching, his eyes burning through hers.  
“You’re pushing your luck darlin’.” Rio’s voice was harsh and cold. “Be here, eight o’clock.”  
And with that, he turned around, going back into the warehouse.

Later that night, the girls were over at Annie’s.

“So what was happening with you and gang friend?” Ruby asked, taking a sip from her wine glass.  
“What do you mean?” Beth asked.  
“You know, when he got all scary and stood about this close to you.” Annie illustrated this with her thumb and index finger.  
“Oh, guys, about that...” She looked away. Beth hadn’t told them about the warehouse yet. She didn’t want to. It was enough to drama to deal with when she’d told them about the two million. It had taken a lot of begging and pleading to get them to help her. And now this? An entire warehouse? There was no way she could rope them into that.  
“There was another job.” Beth could feel the angry stares on her without even looking at them. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to freak you out. I know you guys have had enough.”

“What is it?” Ruby asked.  
“He wants us, well me, to clear out the warehouse.” They stayed silent. “We-” She stopped, remembering that she’d be doing this on her own. The girls had been through enough. This was between her and Rio. “Don’t ask me how I’m going to do it because I only have a week...”  
“You know we’d help you.” Annie said softly, reaching out to put a hand on Beth’s arm.  
“I know.” Beth swallowed. “But this is something I need to do myself.”

 

* * *

 

 

At eight o'clock the next day Beth pulled up in front of the warehouse doors. It was either Bullet or Mr. Cisco, she can never remember who is who, that lead her inside. Rio wasn’t there, and she was kind of glad that she didn’t have to face him for a while.

Although she was told it was the entire warehouse, it turned out to be only the boxes on the shelves. It was still a lot, but it was better than having to do all of it. Mr. Cisco (she’d asked, and his name was actually Francisco) had told her not to worry about all the machinery. He gave her a note with an address on it and explained that she had to take all the boxes there. She could borrow one of the big trucks they kept parked behind the warehouse. She’d asked what was in the boxes, and he’d shrugged it off, said “You don’t gotta worry about that.”

The rest of that conversation had gone something like this:

 _“So do I check in with someone there? What do I do with the boxes?”_  
_“You unload them, and you leave, immediately.”_  
_“Just leave them outside the building?”_  
_“Yeah. then go. Don’t talk to anyone, don’t mess around.”_

So that’s what Beth did.  
She packed as many boxes as she could into the truck and headed over to the place written on the note. Driving deeper and deeper into the city, it made her realize just how much of Detroit she was unfamiliar with. And strangely, while none of her surroundings seemed sketchy, or suspicious (she thought they would have been) it was still entirely new.  
The address led Beth to another string of warehouses. Though these ones were made from galvanized steel and looked like they’d been rusting for a while. Behind them were run down high rises and skyscrapers. She parked by the first one she passed, like the note told her too and got out, taking a minute to scan the area. It seemed empty. Good.

 _“Don’t talk to anyone, don’t mess around.”_ Francisco’s warning buzzed at the back of her mind.

She unpacked everything, dragging the boxes to the doors of the building when they got too heavy. Then when she was done, she trudged back to the driver’s seat, drove back to Rio’s warehouse and repeated the process.

Over the next few days Beth made the trip three times a day. The drive there and back was fairly long, so by the time she got home, all she had the energy to do was kiss her babies goodnight, then collapse onto her bed. Each trip grew more tiring but at least it was all she had to and had not run into trouble, _yet_. She saw Rio once the entire week, and when she tried to ask him anything he’d push her away, saying, “I don’t care about your little problems Beth, I’m a busy man.”

On the last day, on the last trip, Beth could tell something wasn’t right. She’d hopped out of the driver’s seat and opened the creaky doors to the truck when she heard the first noise. The scuffling of feet. Then later when her phone rang she heard it again. Once the last box had been dropped, Beth walked back to the truck, stopping when she another noise. A voice this time.

“Who’s there?” She called out, looking over her shoulder.

  
Suddenly Beth had her body slammed against the side of the truck, the hard metal vibrating against her skin. A pair of cold, greasy hands pinned her wrists painfully at her sides. Those hands belonged to a tall man with thinning black hair, beady eyes and dark, sun damaged skin.  
“So you’re the bitch that’s been leaving all this shit outside the warehouse!” He said through gritted teeth, his spit flying onto her skin.  
“Let me go!” She struggled against him, trying to break free, but to no avail. His grip only got tighter.  
“So Rio gets his woman to do his dirty work for him. Is this how business works now huh?”  
Beth moved the one leg that wasn’t trapped against his sweaty body and tried to knee him in the crotch. She wasn’t quick enough though, and he dodged her attempt.  
“Ha, feisty little thing, aren’t we?” He laughed, a sickening smile playing on his lips as his tongue ran over his yellowed teeth.

“Let me go.” She tried again. He shook his head.  
“What’s Rio playing at? Tell me.” He hissed, bringing his face close to hers.  _God, his breath was disgusting._  
“I, I -” Beth stopped, unsure of what to say when she herself had no idea what he was doing.  
“Tell. Me.” His left hand let go of her wrist, wrapped around her neck, and squeezed.  
“I... don’t... know...” she choked out.

“Or, am I gonna have to force it out of you?” The words made Beth’s insides churn. He let go of her other wrist, planting his hand on her waist. “Hmm?”  
With both hands free she clawed wildly at his fingers. It only made him squeeze harder. His hand travelled along the length of her thigh, then slipped under the hemline of her dress. His sticky palms swept over her inner thigh.   
“Please, please don’t...” She begged. Her vision began to cloud, and she was struggling to breathe.

The adrenaline was rushing through her veins, pounding in her head. _Come on Beth, think_ , she told herself.  
His fingers curled around the edge of her panties, and in one swift motion, he ripped them from her body, discarding them on the floor. This made her whimper.

For a moment, he shifted, leaning all his weight onto one side of his body. _This was her opportunity._ There was enough space for Beth to wiggle her feet out from where they were trapped between his.

  
Before he could move any further, she pushed the heel of her boot into his feet with all the force she could gather.

He cried out in pain, letting go of her and staggered back slightly.  
“You stupid bitch!” He groaned.  
This gave her enough room to draw her leg up to her chest and kick him hard in the stomach. He fell to the ground and clutched at his torso. Without waiting to catch her breath, or even to retrieve her underwear, Beth moved away instantly.  
She jumped into the driver’s seat and fumbled for the ignition. When she could eventually get truck started, she speed away as fast as it’s screeching wheels would allow.  
Once on the road, away from the warehouse, she drove for about ten minutes in the wrong direction, but she didn’t care.

Once at home, she stepped through her front door one shaky legs, heading straight to her bedroom.  
That night while Beth was in the shower, she scrubbed at her skin so hard the water that ran down the drain was tainted pink...

 

* * *

 

 

Beth wore long sleeves the next day to cover the bruises that had formed on her wrists. She hadn’t been able to sleep the entire night - not that that was anything new, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly for months after becoming a crime boss. But still, she wished she could erase the memory of that man’s slimy touch, his rancid breath.  
She slipped out of the house before Dean or the kids could wake up. She hadn’t left the keys to the truck by the warehouse when she stopped there on the way home. So she was going to give the keys back, lest Rio decided to give her a hard time about that too.

The only thing that told Beth the warehouse wasn’t empty was the faint thud of footsteps coming from Rio’s office. She tread up the staircase quietly and pressed her ear to his door. There were no voices. No other sounds. Just the padding of feet. So, taking her chances, she opened the door and walked in.  
Rio was pacing between his desk and the window. He looked good in that light, Beth thought. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.  
She stood there and waited for him to notice her, she never knew how to greet him because she’d never had to before. He’d always shown up first, avoiding pleasantries at all costs.

He came to a standstill. Looked at her. “Want do want Elizabeth?” He asked, annoyed.  
“I just wanted to bring the keys for the truck back.” She said, holding them out for him to take.  
“Why didn’t you just leave them here last night when you were supposed to?” He snatched them from her and threw them onto his desk.  
“I got distracted,” she said, “I wasn’t thinking about it. I’m sorry.”

 _Well, a damn maniac tried to fucking rape me against that stupid truck_ , Beth almost said.

  
He didn’t respond for a while. Only looking at her in a way that told her he was unimpressed.  
“Okay, is that it?”

The way he’d treated her for the past few weeks had hurt. She can’t say she wasn’t expecting it, but now she was sick of it. Hadn’t she done enough to prove herself to him?

“What is your problem?” Beth blurted without thinking.  
“My problem?” Rio’s eyes went wide.  
“Yes. I understand why you were angry in the beginning. I fucked you over, I get it. But every single time I see you, you treat me like shit! Even after I cleaned two million for you, after I moved all these stupid boxes for you! Haven’t I done enough, don’t I at least deserve a fucking thank you? Do you have any idea the hell you’ve put me through?”  
He laughed at this. A big, horrible, ugly laugh with no joy, no warmth. It made Beth want to be eaten up by the floorboard, to get as far away from it as possible.  
“Elizabeth, _do you_ have any idea the hell you’ve put me through?” He shouted, storming towards her. “Do you have any idea how many fucking apology statements I had to send to the people I’m in business with because they heard about my arrest? Half of them dropped me because of it. Do you have any idea how many people I had to let go? People I had to protect, people with families just like you.”  
He caught her there. She hadn’t thought about that this might have meant for Rio or the people who worked for him.  
“Then if I've caused you so much trouble why haven’t you killed me yet?”  
He moved closer to her, slowly now, and in the same way a lion would stalk its prey. His eyes were the darkest she’d ever seen them, and it made her breath hitch. “I can’t kill you Elizabeth. I don’t want to.”  
One final step and their faces were just inches apart, their ragged breaths mingling together. “Because I’ve gotten you under my skin." 

His eyes dropped from hers to her lips, then back up again.

"I ain’t fucking happy about it, but you’re there.”

She mirrored his actions.

There was a moment, where neither of them moved. And then...

Beth wasn’t sure who moved first, but the moment their lips locked, it felt like electricity. It was small though, closed mouth at first. Then Rio pulled back and they glanced at each other for a brief moment. His one hand slipped into her hair, while the other wrapped around her waist.

And that was it.

His lips crashed onto hers once more, coaxing her mouth open with his tongue. She moaned and slid her hands up to his neck, threading her fingers through the short hairs at the back of his head. He turned them around and backed her all the way onto his desk, pressing kisses beneath her jaw and onto her neck. Beth wondered if this was what ambrosia tasted like, sweet and spicy, and something else. Something only Rio could possess.

It was hot, it was bone melting.

But it stopped suddenly, and Beth was sucked back into reality. Rio backed away from her, his eyes still dark with lust.  
“I can’t do this now,” he said, clearing his throat, “You need to leave.”  
“W-what?” Beth asked, stunned.  
“Leave. Go.”

His eyes were willing her to understand that he couldn't do this now. Even if he really wanted to.

Beth pushed herself off the desk and looked at him. Asking her leave after _that_ was like a taking a knife to the heart.  
But she did as she was told. She brushed past him and stormed down the stairs, out the tall metal doors and into her car.  
(She never saw, but soon after, he stormed out too. How could he possibly continue working in the same room she’d just been in, after they’d done that? How could he concentrate when all he could think about was how she tasted?)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth goes a little overboard...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler, but I think it was necessary.

 

For weeks after it happened, Beth didn’t hear from him. But she still thought about him, about the way his body felt against hers, his shoulders cradled beneath her fingers, his mouth against her neck. It was beginning to become a problem, she knew. She couldn’t sleep and was drinking way too much.

Dean had asked if she was okay, noticing the circles under her eyes, the sluggish behaviour, and she’d brushed him off, annoyed. When he’d asked if it had anything to do with ‘that bounce house guy’, she wanted nothing more than to yell at him, or hit him over the head with something heavy.

Instead she’d given him a nasty side glance, and he’d gotten the message.

In fact, Dean was only weighing her down, making this harder for her.

 _Right, today’s the day,_ Beth told herself one morning, after he had tried to kiss her. No. Big no.

How could you cheat on someone, leave them bankrupt, _lie about having cancer_ and then expect to go on like it didn’t happen?

 

_That divorce conversation, it was happening today._

 

Beth was sitting on one of the stools by the kitchen island, nervously swirling the remains of the coffee in her mug, when Dean walked in.

“You wanted to talk?” He asked with a smile.

“Yeah. Sit, please.”

He pulled out another stool and scooted closer to her. She tried not to focus on how uncomfortable it made her.

 

_Deep breaths. Nothing to be nervous about._

“Okay, listen Dean, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and...” She trailed off, placing her mug on the island countertop. She saw that her hands were trembling.

“And?” Dean asked, the silence making him frown with worry.

 

_Just do it. Just rip the bandaid off._

 

“I- I want a divorce.”

There it was. The words were out.

 

“W- what?” He looked genuinely surprised.

“Don’t look at me like. You must have known this was coming.” She tried her hardest not to sound irritated. “But, we were getting better, we were going to sort things out, we-”

She interrupted him, “No Dean. We weren’t, there’s no point. And I think if we’re honest, this marriage was over years ago.”

 

“Please, Beth, I’m sick, what do you want me to do?” Beth’s eyes shot up at him, her expression cold. _If looks could kill..._

“I never imagined that you would ever swoop so low. I’ve tried to work through this, all of this, but faking cancer just to stay with me, that hurt my pride more than feelings and I’m not just going to leave it... I’m sick of it.”

Dean paled, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape.

“Bethy, please, it was a mistake.”  

Agh. She hated that nickname.

“No Dean. Wasting all our money was a choice. Fucking your secretary was a choice. Lying about being sick was a choice.”

“I love you, just please.” He looked like he was about to cry and Beth rolled her eyes.

“You love me? You haven’t shown the least bit of interest in me in years! We haven’t had sex since Emma was born. I’m not your wife anymore. You treat me like a servant, that’s really all I am at this point. ” Dean scrunched up his shoulders.

“I- Beth...”

 

Suddenly the kids came rushing in, laughing and tugging excitedly at Dean’s clothing, but his eyes remained on Beth. She looked away for a moment, pinching her nose and squeezing her eyes shut. She was not going to lose it in front of the kids.

“I don’t want to hear it. I’ve said what I wanted to say. Just go.”

Dean had promised to take the kids on a camping trip for the weekend. They were leaving later that day, and Beth was relieved that she could finally have some peace and quiet around the house. Plus it was just a nice thing for them to do. Dean might have been a terrible husband, but she couldn’t fault him on being a parent.

 

As her family left, she watched them drive away until she couldn’t see them anymore. Then, she slammed her front door shut and fell to the floor. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream. She wanted to get this horrible feeling out of her system. But it just wouldn’t come.

 

Beth was seething, and had no idea what to do.

 

After a minute or so, she shakily pushed herself up off the floor and moved back to the kitchen. Was it too early to drink?

 

* * *

 

 

A couple of hours later, Beth found herself  too shit faced to care that the room was moving. Not spinning, just moving, gently rocking from side to side. She’d ended up on the couch, cradling an empty bottle of vodka in her arms - she’d finished all the bourbon too.

But it was starting to get uncomfortable, and she wanted to dig through the cupboards in the kitchen to get to Dean’s alcohol stash. So she swung herself of the couch, regretting her decision immediately when the pain shot through her temples. She took a moment to steady herself so that she could actually _find_ her way back to the kitchen. It didn’t make a difference though, her sense of direction and ability to walk straight had left along with her sobriety.

This is why, when Beth actually made it to the kitchen, she’d tripped on nothing, and crashed into the kitchen counter, the empty bottle going down too, smashing underneath her.

_How odd. It didn’t even sting…_

 

If Beth hadn’t had seen the blurry drops of blood on the floor, she wouldn’t even have thought anything was wrong.

She rolled over and sat up straight. Slowly pulled out the shard of glass cutting into her forearm. Too lazy to move, too tired to care, she just watched through lidded eyes as the drops turned into a puddle in front of her. Soon her eyes drifted shut.

 

She must have been _really_ drunk or hallucinating, because not only didn’t this hurt the way it should, she could hear voices now too.

 

“Beth?”

 

It was faint at first. Gradually getting louder, and closer.

 

“Elizabeth?”

 

Now it was right by her ear.

 

“Shit Elizabeth! What did you do?”

 

_Ha, that’s funny. It sounds like Rio. But Rio would never…_

 

A pair of warm gentle hands were on her before she could register the person crouching next to her. They touched her arm, her hair, her face. When she didn’t respond, didn’t open her eyes, they gripped her shoulders and shook.

“Hmm, what is it?” Beth stirred.

“Elizabeth, look at me.” His hands flew to her face again. “Look at me, please.”

When she did eventually open her eyes wide enough to see his face, it was scrunched with worry.

 _It is Rio!_ Beth concluded to herself and giggled.

 

“Come on Beth, I gotta get you off the floor. Can you stand?”

Beth shook her head.

Carefully Rio hooked his arms under her legs and around her back. He lifted her off the floor and placed her on top of the kitchen island.

 

“I need to deal with this.” He said, taking a hold of Beth’s arm.

“It’s fine. I’ll just stick a bandaid on it.” She slurred, trying to pull away. Rio just gripped her arm tighter, his other hand coming up to hover over the wound, so the blood didn’t continue dripping on the floor.

“Nah Beth,” he said surveying it carefully, “It’s not that deep, but a bandaid is not gonna do it. You got any bandages?”

She was slightly taken aback. “Um, yeah.”

“Okay, hold on.” He moved behind her to get a dishcloth off the counter.

“Come here,” he pulled her hand forward, tightly wrapping the cloth around her arm. “Where are they?”

“There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom. Top shelf.”

He disappeared down the hallway and into what she assumed was the bathroom. She wondered how he just knew where the bathroom was, but then again, he probably knew more about her than just the locations of different rooms in her home.

He came back with the first aid kit in hand, setting it down next to her on the counter.

 

He pulled out a roll of bandages along with an antiseptic liquid and a few cotton balls.

“Give me your hand.” he said, tugging at the dishcloth. When she complied he pulled the cloth off completely, noting that the bleeding had slowed. He came to stand in between her legs, he was so close that she could feel his breath on her face, but he didn’t seem to notice the intimacy in that, or maybe he was ignoring it.

“I can do this myself, you know.”

“Oh really? Just a minute ago you were falling asleep on the floor.” He said with a chuckle.

He dabbed the antiseptic over the cut with a cotton ball and continued to wrap the bandage around her arm.

No one spoke while he did this. She wanted to ask him why he was there, why he was helping her but all she could do was watch him as he worked.

When he was done, he placed her arm on her lap and packed everything away. She immediately missed the warmth of his hands on hers.

 

“It hurts.” She sighed.

“Is the bandage too tight?”

“No.” She shook her head.

“What is it?” He moved in closer to her again.

Beth took his hand and pressed it to the bare skin of her chest.

“Can you feel it? It hurts.”

 

It clicked. Her _heart_ hurt.

For some reason the feel of her skin, the steady beating of her heart beneath his hand sent a jolt through his system. Had she realized the intimacy in what she had just done?

 

“Why does it hurt Elizabeth?” His eyes met hers, black swallowed by an ocean of blue.

“All the people that I care about keep letting me down and I hate it. I hate that I let it hurt me. It shouldn’t.” She said. Rio felt her heart beat faster, each dull thump becoming more erratic.

“I shouldn’t care that my husband ruined me, because I stopped loving him a long time ago. I shouldn’t care that you kissed me. But I do. I’m sick of people using me and then throwing me out like trash.”

It took every ounce of strength he had to pry his hand away, but he did, he had to.

“When did I use you?” He asked, surprised.

“The thing that happened in your office.” She mumbled.

“That’s not what that was and you know it.”

After he said that, Beth just kind of deflated. _Then what was it?_ She wanted to ask, but she couldn’t get the words passed her tongue.

“That’s why I’m here, actually. I needed to talk about what happened, and something else. But I can’t have this conversation with you like this. You need to sober up and you need to get some sleep.”

 

* * *

 

 

Rio was still there in the morning. He was sitting on the edge of the bed watching her sleep.

And damn, if she wasn’t the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, with her coppery locks - a halo above her head - and her rosy cheeks.

He’d carried her to the bed last night, and she’d fallen asleep instantly. He couldn’t help but smile when she curled up against her pillow, hugging it tightly.

It was late in the morning. But he wasn’t leaving yet. Not until she woke, so he could make sure she was okay. Not that he had to, she was a grown woman who could take care of herself, he knew that. But she’d hurt herself, and he guessed that Beth wasn’t the kind of person that got drunk for no reason. (And after what she’d told him last night, he knew there was one.)

She was stirring now. Slowly moving her head from side to side, then groaned when she felt the headache kicking in. She opened one eye. No way was that blurry figure at the end of the bed Rio. She opened the other eye. Blinked a few times. No, still Rio.

“Hey. You’re awake.” He reached out to touch her hand, then stopped.

“Hmm.” She gripped the bed sheets and pulled herself up, then leaned back against the headrest. “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“What happened?” A sharp burst of pain shot through her arm and she hissed, looking down at the bandage. _Oh look, it did hurt._

“You got stupidly drunk, and you hurt yourself. I’m guessing you fell and landed on a piece of glass.”

“Oh.” Was all she could say.

She was unimpressed by that. Stupidly drunk? No. Tipsy at best, and with very good reasons, she corrected him in her head, although, she couldn’t really remember. So yes, actually, it could have been stupid.

For a while, it was quiet. Beth saw that Rio looked tired. Not just physically, but mentally. You could see it in his face.

“Is there another reason why you’re here or did you just stay to watch me sleep?”

“Yeah there is.” He laughed.

“Okay.”

Rio rolled his shoulders, trying to release the tension that had been building all night.

 

“Look Elizabeth… I need you to do me a favour.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The favour begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know where I'm going with this but I hope you like it :)

“Wait. Wait. He wants you to do what?” Ruby asked, throwing a dirty dish towel over her shoulder.

“It’s not that bad.” Beth reasoned.

After Rio left, Beth had arranged for her and Annie to meet Ruby at the diner. After their last cash drop, they hadn’t uttered a word about their new penchant for crime - or rather, Beth’s. Honestly, she was glad they hadn’t asked questions. She wasn’t quite ready to tell what was going on with Rio, or what had happened at the warehouse that night. She didn’t want to tell anyone about that.

But, she was going to have to tell them about this.

 

“Excuse me, not that bad? Three weeks in a part of the city you don’t know with a crime lord! Do you have a death wish or something?” Annie asked, hitting Beth on the arm.

“Oh my god, Annie I’m not going to die.”

“And if you do?” Ruby chimed in.

“You guys, it’s nothing dangerous. He’s got a few business conferences to go to and he said he needs a partner with him. Something about looking more dependable or trustworthy, I can’t remember, he didn't go into detail.”

“And he chose you?” Ruby raised her an angular brow.

“Look, I’m not going to question it. We still owe him, and he said after I do this, we’re off the hook.”

Annie leaned forward, propping her chin up on her hand. “I think you should question it. What do you know about his business dealings?”

 

“Ugh. Enough about this, please.” Beth gulped down the last of her coffee, then turned to Ruby. “How’s everything going with Stan?”

“Well, he’s talking to me again. So that’s good.” Ruby sighed, dropping down next to her on the cheap faux leather seat. “He hasn’t tried to spring any divorce papers on me yet so I’m hoping it gets better from here.”

Stan had stayed with a friend for the first few days after he found out about their money laundering. She understood that he needed time to process what had happened, so she didn’t stop him.

Though, the kids had missed him terribly, so he’d come back soon after he left. Then began the silent treatment that absolutely broke her heart, and it had really only stopped two days ago.

 

After they’d had their morning coffee and daily injection of best friend chatter, they parted ways - too busy with school projects and doctors’ appointments to stay any longer.

 

Beth had to run a few errands before going home to begin packing. Rio hadn’t really given her a lot of time to sort her life out before disappearing for nearly a month. She’d called Dean on the way home to tell him that he’d be alone with the kids for three weeks. She didn’t tell him where she was running off to, or who with, just that she needed some time to think. Of course he had a heart attack, of course he protested, but she really couldn’t have cared.

 

“If you have any love or respect left for me, like you say you do, then you’ll do this for me.” She said, then hung up.

 

* * *

 

 

The following Sunday, Rio picked her up in his Cadillac and they were off.

 

The weather had started getting warmer and Beth was reminded of this when Rio rolled the windows and gentle breeze didn’t nip at her skin like it always had.

Throughout most of the drive, they didn’t talk. The radio was on with soft spanish music playing, and Beth didn’t want to interrupt the mood they had going - it was quiet between them, but it wasn’t awkward. She looked over at him every so often, trying to read him, but that was the thing with Rio, you could never really gauge what he was thinking. The sunlight streaming through the windshield and falling on his face only enhanced his features, and Beth had to stop her eyes from lingering too long every time.

 

The deeper they drove into the city the more uncomfortable Beth grew. Once again, she was reminded of how little of Detroit she’d actually been exposed to. That small bubble she’d spent her whole life in had only recently been expanded by their money laundering extravaganza. _Was her life really that sad?_ Had it really taken illegal activities to get her outside of her comfort zone?

The thought of this made her sigh and sink into her seat.

 

“Something wrong mama?” When Beth turned to look at him, he’d shifted his towards her, but his eyes were still on the road.

“Um, no it’s nothing. Sorry.” She huffed out a small laugh.

“You sure?” His darted to her for a split second before going back to where they were.

She sat up straight, realizing she must have looked ridiculous. “Yeah... It’s just that I’m only realizing now how little of this city I’ve actually seen.” They came to a red light, and Rio looked over at her.

“You mean you’ve lived in that cookie cutter housewife neighbourhood your whole life?”

 

She was ready to defend her situation, then stopped, because it was true. “Well, kind of. I grew up in a neighbourhood not far from where I currently am, the only time I ever moved was to go to college. And even then, it was still close by.”

His eyes were back on the road when the light went green, but she could see his interest had been piqued. “You went to college? What did you major in?”

“Music, and business, funnily enough.” Looking back on the memory made Beth feel sort of sad. God, when was the last time she’d played an instrument?

“Really? That explains Annie’s ‘baby upright’ comment.” He laughed. “And why you’re so smart. Sometimes I think you’re too smart for your own good.”

It was her turn to laugh now.

 

They drove for about another half an hour before stopping in the parking lot of a penthouse building. This wasn’t like any other building Beth had ever seen. It was gorgeous, it was massive - this towering facade that put every other fancy building she’d ever seen to shame. The windows glittered in the sunlight and the balcony rails looked like they were made from gold.

 

“Wow.” She whispered to herself, shutting her car door.

Rio saw the look of pure amazement on her face laughed, a proper warm laugh, where his teeth actually showed.

 

Rio grabbed all their bags from the boot and they made their way through the doors and up the elevator to the very top floor. And once again, Beth’s jaw dropped in awe. This place was freaking beautiful, with black calacatta marble flooring and big glass windows, that gave a view of the entire city.

“You like it?” Rio asked, coming to stand next to her.

“It’s gorgeous. Is this your… What is this place?”

“I own the building, so I can come and go as I please. I stay here most of the time, it’s not my home though, if that’s what you’re asking.” Beth quickly swallowed the lump forming in her throat. The whole building? Wow, okay.

“You surprised?” He asked with a slight curve of his lips.

“A little I guess.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me yet Elizabeth. Don’t waste all your energy on this.” The seriousness in his voice almost scared her. Made her wonder if she wanted to know.

She acknowledged him with a nod and walked past a plush leather couch in the middle of the room to something that drew her attention:

 

A sleek grand piano, and poised perfectly above it, a giant crystal chandelier that made the marble beneath it look like a kaleidoscope of shattered silver when the light shone through it.

When she ran her fingers over the keys she was sucked into an indescribable nostalgia. She wanted to sit down, try to shake any music she could remember down to fingertips and play.

 

“You’re gonna have to play for me at some point yeah?” Rio asked with a smirk.

“Yeah.” She smiled.

 

A few hours later, she had done some exploring and ended up in the main bedroom. There weren’t too many personal touches, she’d noticed, only a few photos here and there.

 

She was staring intently at one photo in particular of three people, two men and one woman, their arms interlinked. They looked happy enough, normal enough, but something about the man on the end of the link made her heart leap into her throat, made her entire body seize up. She’d seen those beady eyes before, that set of yellow teeth.

It was _him_. That same man that had thrown her against the truck. The same man that had touched her with his dirty hands.

 

Beth had been so deep in thought, flashes of his appearance coming back to her, that she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“You okay?” Rio asked.

She let out a shaky breath. She had a choice to tell him now. Just, how do you find the words?

 _Tell him you idiot. Find out what’s going on,_ she told herself.

Instead, she swallowed the idea, and took a deep breath, calming the fervent pounding in her chest.

 

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Who are they?” She pointed to the photo.

“That’s my mom, Maria, and my dad, Alex. The man on the end with the stringy comb over is my Uncle, Eduardo.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” She eventually pulled her eyes from that horrible face and focused on his mother. She had dark curly hair and a bright smile. “She’s beautiful.”

Beth saw his eyes light up. “Yeah, she is.”

 

Rio turned to face her. “Um, Beth, I think it would have been better of me to ask before you packed, but did you bring any fancy dresses with you?” She was taken aback by quick change in subject. “I don’t mean like Met Gala type shit, just you know, pretty, but still smart enough for business.”

 

* * *

 

 

After showing Rio the outfits she had packed, and hearing a comment about each, they ended up taking a drive to some posh boutique he knew of. “These are good, but we gotta keep our options open.” He had said. It had fascinated Beth how he cared so much about what she wore but chose not to comment.

 

The moment they stepped through the boutique doors, Rio grabbed Beth’s hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. The look of surprise on her face only made him laugh.

 

He mumbled something to the receptionist at the front desk and she’d disappeared for a moment. “What are you doing?” Beth asked.

“Relax Elizabeth.” He whispered, letting go of her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist. “Just go with it.”

 

The receptionist reemerged and smiled at them both. “Mr Alvarez, if you could follow me please.”

It took Beth more brain power than what was necessary to get one foot in front of the other when Rio pulled her with him, because she had to process this first.

_Rio Alvarez._

_He had a last name, and she finally knew what it was._

 

They were led through another set of doors and into what looked like huge closet with rows and rows of outfits. All very fancy and ridiculously overpriced. Even so the sight made Beth’s mouth water. The last time she’d seen clothing this posh was when she was looking for her wedding dress, and even then, it could never measure up to this.

 

“So, what are we looking for?”

“I’m not sure,” Rio gave Beth a once over, “Why don’t you tell us what would suit this pretty little lady, hmm?”

She ended up dragging Beth through each row, picking dresses that she thought would look, then waited for her to try the first one on.

 

The first was a tight fighting, low cut black dress with lace sleeves and a hemline that ended just below her knee. Beth nearly gawked when she saw how much of her cleavage was showing. Not that the dress wasn’t beautiful, it was. It had just been so long since she’d worn anything that revealing.

She walked out of the change room, trying to pull the material up as much as possible. “I don’t know about this, it’s beautiful but it’s Giorgio Armani, it’s like eight hundred dollars and I’m -”

The words died on her lips when she looked up to find both of them staring at her. Rio had made himself comfortable in one of the many ottomans laid out between the aisles of clothing, and the way he was looking up at her made her feel like she was going to melt into the floor.

 

“It’s absolutely gorgeous on you.” The receptionist squealed. “But it’s your choice. I’ll leave you and your husband to go through the rest.”

 

As she left and closed the doors behind her, Beth let out a breathy laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Rio drawled lazily.

“She thought we were married.”

“Yeah, so?”

“I’m like ten years older than you.”

He laughed softly, getting up off the ottoman. “Darlin’, how old are you?”

“Thirty nine. Well, I’m turning forty soon.”

He turned Beth around with her back facing him, so that she could see herself properly in the giant mirror in front of them. “Okay. I’m thirty seven. Only a three year difference, not that crazy of her to assume.”

Her eyes darted to his in the mirror, her jaw dropping. “You’re joking.”

How was that physically possible? The man could easily have passed as a thirty year old!

“Nah I’m not. Now close your mouth babygirl, you’re gonna catch flies.”

He looked her up and down again before going to the pile of dresses she still needed to try on. “You look fucking amazing in that dress. We’re taking it.”

 

* * *

 

 

After they were done at the boutique, they’d gone out for dinner at a lovely italian restaurant. It wasn’t super pretentious like Beth had imagined after a day of penthouses and expensive dresses, and that was nice.

She’d actually learnt a lot about Rio during dinner. He owned several hotel chains. His father used to run the business but after a few years he’d gotten himself into some bad business deals with money laundering. Then one day, he just disappeared, no warning, no goodbye.

Rio had stepped in after that and saved the business from completely burning to the ground. But of course, doing that mean tying up loose ends. He explained that the last batch of cash she’d cleared was the end of it. He was done dealing with the mess his father had made.

 

_“Where is your father now?” She’d asked._

_“I don’t know. I don’t want to know.” He’d replied, firmly and without remorse._

 

They were back at the penthouse now. It was late, around 1am.

Rio was standing in front of the large windows that gave a view of the world below him. The outside world was so much calmer, so much prettier while it slept, with the bright city lights that twinkle like stars. He often did this, when his mind began to overflow with thoughts he couldn’t settle, he’d look out the window and watch the movement of the cars and people on the street.

Beth had just changed into her pajamas and was on her way to the guest bedroom when she noticed him standing there. His sleeves were rolled up, his top button undone, his honey skin glowing in the pale moonlight. Did his man ever _not_ look delicious?

 

Rio had been so engrossed in his thoughts had he hadn’t seen when her came to stand next to him, or when she spoke.

 

“Hey what’s going on?” Beth nudged gently at his shoulder with her hand.

“I’m sorry.” Rio said, looking at her apologetically, “What was that?”

“I said it’s beautiful, isn’t it? All those lights, the way they sparkle. You almost forget they’re just lights.”

He smiled, “Yeah they are.”

 

“Is that why you’re standing here? Admiring the city?”

“Just got a lot on my mind I guess, it helps, sometimes. What about you? I thought you would’ve gone to bed by now.”

She ran her hands through her hair and exhaled deeply. “No, I can’t sleep.”

“Any particular reasons why?” He mused.

Beth laughed. “You, actually.” She could have lied, come up with an excuse about having insomnia, but she didn’t want to.

Rio turned to face her with raised eyebrows and she laughed even harder. “I mean, come on, after everything that’s happened, I never expected to be standing here right now, and with you of all people… I don’t even fully know why I’m here.”

 

When her laughter died, Beth felt a shift between them. When she looked at Rio again, she saw something she’d never seen before. He looked unsettled.

 

“You ever wanted something so bad, that you were willing to do anything to get it?” Rio asked, his brow furrowing.

“Hasn’t everyone?”

“Nah, I mean you want it so badly that you can feel it burning in your gut, and the idea of someone else getting it instead of you, it drives you crazy.”

Beth understood the difference somehow. The difference between wanting something, and the intense need to have it, to make it yours and yours alone, however selfish it may seem.

 

He stalked closer to her, until he was standing right up against her. He’d done this to her so many times before, something that usually carried so much frustration, so much anger, something that was so familiar to them - now completely new, different.

Beth cleared her throat, trying not to show how flustered she felt. “And what is it that you want so badly?”

 

“You.”

 

Rio’s hands came to rest on her shoulders, and before she knew it, her back was pushed up against the cool glass. He was staring at her now as if she looked good enough to eat, and the intensity of his gaze, the all-consuming darkness of it made Beth’s knees feel weak.

“I can’t stop fucking thinking about the way you taste,” his hands moved to her face, gently cupping her cheeks. “You know that right?”

His thumb swept over her bottom lip and dipped into her mouth. Beth swirled her tongue around his finger before releasing it with a wet pop, and he groaned. “Fuck Elizabeth, you’re gonna kill me.”

 

 _Good,_ she wanted to say. If anything were to be Rio’s downfall, she would never have guessed it would be her, if he was serious. To be the reason his walls break down? She would grab that opportunity with both hands and never let go.

 

“Kiss me.” The words were barely a whisper, but he’d heard them loud and clear.

 

So he did. Brutally, savagely.

He attacked her lips as if she was his oxygen, his life line and she exulted in the unrelenting motion of his tongue pushing deeper into her mouth, coaxing out an emotion she didn’t even know she had. If Beth thought that the last time Rio had kissed her was hungry, then she was dead wrong. Because _this_ was hungry.

 

Then his hands were everywhere, her neck, back, waist - anywhere he could touch, his greedy fingers followed.

 

This wouldn’t do, he wanted to feel her, really feel her. So his hands traveled down her back and when he reached her ass he squeezed, lifting her off the ground. He walked them into his bedroom and deposited her on the bed.

“Take ‘em off babygirl,” he tugged at the hem of her pajama shorts, “I wanna see that creamy skin of yours.”

Beth complied, pulling her shirt over her head and wriggling out of her shorts. Rio did the same, discarding his clothes carelessly on the floor. Beth nearly started drooling at the sight of him, taut muscle beneath a myriad of tattoos.

Godlike. That’s the only word that came to mind.

 

“See something you like?” Rio asked.

Beth only laughed. _God yes_.

 

He climbed onto the bed, snaking up to her and pulling her into another heated kiss. She could feel his erection pressed between the juncture of her thighs and it made her squirm with anticipation. Then his kisses travelled down her body, leaving a wet trail as they went, until he was met with her glistening pink cunt, wet with arousal.

He started slow at first, teasing her with his tongue, sucking, licking, biting everywhere except where she needed it. A frustrated whine left her throat as she fisted the sheets. “Rio...”

“Hmm?” He looked up at her innocently, resting his chin on her pubic mound.

“Don’t be mean.”

He only chuckled and went back to work, this time inserting two thick fingers inside, and sucking hard on her clit.

Desperately trying to gain more friction, to get closer to that sweet release she knew was waiting for her, Beth’s hips moved of their own volition, but Rio was having none of that. His free hand came to rest on her belly and held her down while he worked.

 

Soon the warm tingling feeling she knew all too well began to build in her core and she couldn’t decide whether to pull away or push herself closer to him.

 

“Rio, I’m gonna come...”

Not even a second passed after she'd said it and she came hard, her eyes squeezing shut, head snapping back, as a low, lengthy moan left her throat.

 

Completely submerged in pleasure, feeling like she was floating on a cloud, Beth didn’t even fully register when the sloppy trail of kisses led back to her mouth.

“Do we need to wrap this up?” Rio asked, pressing kisses into her jaw.

“I’m on birth control.”

“Good.” He lined himself up at her entrance, and with one fluid thrust, was fully sheathed in the hot wetness of her. They stayed like that for a moment, feeling, relishing in the calmness of it. Then he began moving.

He watched her intently through lidded eyes, gauging every moan, every whimper, and adjusted accordingly, hitting her in the exact spots that made her vision blur and stars dance before her. When she began to writhe uncontrollably, her hips bucking, he knew she was close.

“That’s it, do it again. Come for me babygirl.” He leaned back, one hand palming her breast, the other going to her clit.

And that was all she needed. The orgasm hit her with such force her back arched off the bed, core contracting around him, her mouth paused in a silent scream.

 

Soon after, his thrusts became erratic, and he came too, his face scrunched in ecstasy, corded muscle flexing against pale skin. He collapsed on top of Beth, sated and sweaty.

 

“Holy shit, we’re doing that again.” Beth said, panting.

Rio laughed. “Easy tiger, I need some time.”

 

A few minutes later, they fell asleep, Rio still resting his head on her belly, and for once, Beth found that she didn’t mind carrying this weight...

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> didn't check this after I wrote it so it could be even worse than previous chapters, but anyways, here it is x

It was late in the morning. Beth woke up to the feeling of light kisses gracing her shoulders.

“Come on Elizabeth, time to get up.” Came Rio’s sleepy drawl.

“But I don’t want to...” Beth moaned. It had been some of the best sleep she’d gotten in a while, and even though being woken like that was amazing, at the moment, she would have chosen sleep over anything.

 

The kisses eventually stopped and she reluctantly sat up, opening her eyes. Rio had gotten off the bed and headed to a set of draws across the room to retrieve a pair of boxers.

“What time is it?” She asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Quarter past twelve.”

Beth slid off the bed and picked up her pajamas off the floor. She didn’t really give a second thought to the fact that she was completely naked in front of Rio, they’d already slept together, no point in getting self conscious now.

“Why don’t you take a shower, I’ll make breakfast. Then I’ll brief you about tonight, okay?”

Beth smiled, nodded, and brushed passed him to get to the bathroom. Rio hadn’t explained to her yet what her role in this was or how she had to act at these conferences, and it made her somewhat nervous.

 

As the hot beads of water rolled over her skin, Beth tried to make sense of the past few hours.

 _That actually happened. They actually slept together._ She had to calm the racing of her mind, had to remind herself that it probably didn’t mean anything on his end. It was just one night, they were both tired, it couldn’t have meant anything.

 

Beth wrapped herself in a bathrobe Rio had left for her and padded like that into the kitchen, where she was greeted with the smell of eggs, bacon and freshly toasted bread.

“You hungry mama?” Rio filled a mug with coffee and handed it to her. She nodded. “Good. Sit.”

 

He started explaining. “Firstly, these things are more like parties than conferences, but they’re just labelled like that so people behave themselves.” He paused, making sure Beth understood. “So these guys we’re gonna meet, they invest with you when you got good records to back you up, and if you look trustworthy. They talk to you a little bit, do a few rounds with other business people there, and if they like you they’ll contact you.”

He put a plate in front of Beth, then carried on in the kitchen. “Problem is, I don’t exactly come across as the most trustworthy businessman, you, with the neck tattoo and whatnot. I can’t bring any of my guys with because no one will take a second look at them.” Beth frowned at that. “Unfair as it is, that’s how these things operate. That’s why I need you.” Beth’s heart skipped a beat. In any other context, the words would have turned her into jelly, but she had to remind herself that this, _all of this_ , it meant nothing. She still owed him, and maybe the sex was apart of that.

“You’re a smart, beautiful woman, that attracts. And like I said, having a partner ups my chances of gaining business.”

Rio grabbed his own plate and sat opposite her. “Your job is to entertain them.”

“How do I do that?”

“You just need to be your pretty little self, and give them a story about us. You’re good at making things up. Just don’t mention the husband, or the kids.”

Beth had so many things to say to him in that moment, _how am I supposed to be myself if can’t talk about my life?_ Instead, she took a bite of her toast and replied, “Okay, whatever you need.”

  


**…**

  


Rio picked a tight fitting dark blue dress from the stash of outfits he’d gotten her and told her to wear that. Beth wanted to argue, because since when did he start telling her what to do? But she realised it was only for the sake of arguing and she should just keep quiet, besides, the dress was gorgeous.

 

He was waiting for her by the door when she was done getting ready. He was wearing a white button up shirt and a grey blazer, it hadn’t taken him as long, but damn he looked good.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” She said nervously, trying to maintain her balance on her way to him. The heels she had on were nearly deadly.

“Nah, not at all. You look good red.” He took her hand and led her out the door to the elevator.

 

He continued briefing her on the way there, giving her figures and numbers she couldn’t quite absorb in time. When she asked him to repeat all of it he just sighed and told her to turn to him when someone asked her about business. Feeling irritated by this, Beth bit her cheek in lieu of saying something she might regret.

 

The party, when they arrived, was much like everything else Beth had been exposed to in the last few hours - fancy, and completely unreachable for someone like her. People were scattered in groups, some at the bar, some at tables, some on the balcony at the far end of the room, each with a golden flute of champagne in hand.

Rio placed his hand on her lower back and walked her through the doors where they had been standing, and into the growing uncertainty in front of her. It had been a long time since Beth had to socialise with anyone that wasn’t a member of the PTA, and she was nervous.

He took her to a group that had disbanded, now containing only two men, one stout, one lanky, both older than fifty and carrying infectious smiles.

“Will, Jon!” He called out. They turned to him and laughed.

“Mr Alvarez!” They sang out together.

“How are you both? I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Good, we’re good. And who’s the lovely lady?” The taller man asked.

“This is Elizabeth Marks. Beth, this is William Hadley.” The fact that he’d used her maiden name was not lost on her and she gave him an appreciative glance. He directed her to the shorter of the two, and she shook his hand. “And this is Jonathan Reed.” She repeated the action.

“These two gentlemen used to work with my father.” Rio explained, “They were good to me while I was trying to get the business back on its feet.”

“It’s lovely to meet you both.” She said, smiling.

“Elizabeth is new to these sorts of parties. I trust that you two will keep her company when she gets bored of me”

“But of course!” Said Mr Hadley, “Not that you could ever get bored of a man like Rio though.”

  


Beth clung at Rio’s side for most of the night, making polite conversation with other business men and their dates. When asked how she knew Rio, she’d said that he was looking for some help in the sales department, and she specialised in that.

It wasn’t entirely a lie, she did have a degree in marketing. She never actually got to do anything with it though because she married Dean soon after receiving it. Then the kids came along, and the possibility of a career moved further and further from her line of sight.

 

She’d surprised Rio when she began to question them about their businesses, speaking in rapid fire business terms. If he had gotten the impression that she was that small minded, that all she could or would ever talk about was her kids or PTA meetings or whatever else, then she’d show him.

If he wanted professional, she could do professional.

The look of complete astonishment on Rio’s face at the end of it left Beth with a smug look on her face.

 

At a point during the evening, where he had gotten deeply involved in some or other debate, she excused herself and went to the bar. This was where she was met with Mr Reed and Mr Hadley once again once again.

“Mrs Marks, what are you doing all by yourself?” Mr Hadley asked. They both came to sit next to her.

“Rio’s gotten into some argument about politics. I don’t really care for the topic.”

“I see. I bores me too. Though I bet you’re smarter than all those big headed men over there. You probably know more than they do.”

Beth laughed, “I’m not sure about that, but I’ll take the compliment.”

 

“I presume he’s told you about what happened to the business.”  Mr Reed said, changing the subject.

“Yes, he has. I think it’s great that you helped after his father left. It’s been my experience that when things go south, the right people aren’t there when you need them.” She was referring to Dean in a way. He hadn’t fixed his business they way he should have. Taking money from the wrong places, investing in things he didn’t need. He wasn’t there when his business needed him, wasn’t there when she needed him.

 

“Well, I can tell you, it certainly wasn’t easy getting things up and running again.” Mr Hadley stirred the drink in his hand. “Especially with Eduardo being the most stubborn man alive, he cannot agree on a single thing.”

The name made alarm bells ring.

“Eduardo, Rio’s uncle?” Beth asked.

“Yes dear.”

She didn’t know what to say. She stared at them, shocked.

“Are you alright?” Mr Reed placed a hand over hers.

 

“I,I - would you excuse me for a moment?” Beth pushed herself off the seat with heavy exhalation, and stumbled to the bathroom.

 

She spent the next ten minutes splashing cold water over her face, then fixing the makeup she ruined.

What had Rio not told her? Was she supposed to connect the dots herself? Beth was startling to realize that wasn’t something she could just push down or forget. She would have to tell Rio…

  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio finds out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a mess. I'm sorry.

The next three weeks went by in a blur, with a few important things to note.

****

Beth learnt more about Rio:

****

They had been to five parties so far and they had finally reached a day where they had nowhere to be. Beth had been on the phone with Dean for nearly an hour and was about to go into a flat spin.

****

_“I can’t find Emma’s bunny.”_

_“Kenny’s having problems with math and I can’t figure it out.”_

_“Are the kids allowed to watch horror movies yet?”_

_“Do they still eat chicken fingers or do I have to make something else?”_

****

The conversation ended with Beth throwing her phone against the bedroom door, where it smashed into two pieces. Frustrated, she dropped onto the bed and buried her head into the pillows with a groan.

Rio quickly appeared in the door frame. “What happened?”

“I broke my phone.” She mumbled.

“I can see that. Why?”

“He can’t even look after his own kids without calling me.”

“Beth, you have got to stop breaking things.” He said, while hopping over the broken glass, and sat on the edge of the bed.

Beth sat up. “Sorry.”

“Car man is a dumb motherfucker. I’ve told you this.” She nodded.

****

“Mama, I know you don’t wanna be here, but seriously, you need to relax. We’ve got a few days off. We can go do something… Or if you really want, you can go and check on your kids.”

She looked up at him, surprised. Would he really let her do that?

Either way, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. She needed a break, and going back would mean dealing with Dean’s whining. No. She could live without them for a few weeks, and, well, he’d just have to adapt.

“No it’s fine. They’ll be okay. I trust he won’t kill them.”

Rio chuckled.

****

“Come on, what you wanna do today?”

****

They ended up going to the movies. It had been sort of odd to see Rio so out of place. A person like him, doing normal things, and talking about normal people things, simply for the enjoyment of doing them.

Beth now knew that Rio doesn’t like diet coke, and can down two whole boxes of popcorn like it’s nothing.

They were at lunch now. Rio carried on talking and Beth greedily took everything she could get from him, memorising, storing it somewhere in the back of her mind,

He has no brothers or sisters, only a cousin that lives halfway across the country.

His mother used to be a florist.

The dog he had growing up was pitbull, his name was Paco.

****

Suddenly his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered.

“Hi Mami,” he smiled. He spoke for a few seconds then Rio got up out of his seat and walked a few steps away from Beth.

That’s when she saw it. A bulge in his side pocket.

A gun.

Why did he have it with him? What were they doing that could possibly be so dangerous?

She watched him as he spoke, feeling confused.

His expression went cold. He turned to look at Beth and her eyes quickly focused on something else, not wanting to seem weird for staring. “Look, I’ll be there now,” he said, then hung up.

****

“Shit.” his fingers curled tightly around his phone.

“What’s wrong?” Beth asked, worried.

“We gotta go. I’ll drop you off at the apartment.” He sighed, digging in his back pocket for his wallet.

“Why?”

“There’s something I need to take care of.”

****

Rio threw a few bills on the table and grabbed Beth’s hand, dragging her to the car. She sulked on the way back. It was stupid and childish, she knew. But for the first time in god knows how long, she was actually have a normal day. A nice day. Now it wasn’t

****

She got out of the car in the parking lot, and Rio sped off. He’d given her a set of keys so she could get in. She trudged all the way to the elevator and sunk into the walls as it began moving up.

****

**…**

****

Beth sat down at the piano. She’d been eyeing it ever since she got there. They were just always out, and Beth couldn’t remember much sheet music anyways. Though now that she had some time to kill, she gave it a go. She placed her fingers gently on the keys and closed her eyes.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

****

_“You have to remember something.”_

****

Her brain went sifting through songs she’d learnt at school, trying so hard to remember their melodies

****

_The symphonies, the sonatas...something_

****

_Eb E B- A_

****

No,

****

_E Eb E Eb B- D C A_

****

_That’s it,_

****

_E Eb E Eb E B- D C A-_

_C- E- A- B-_

_E- Ab- B- C_

_E- E Eb E Eb E B- D C A-_

_C- E- A- B-_

_E- C B- A-_

Beethoven’s Fur Elise.

****

She stumbled over a few of the notes, but eventually, the music came flowing and showed no signs of stopping, her fingers gliding smoothly over the keys as if she’d never given this up.

****

It sounds odd, but it was almost as if Beth could feel all the pain, all the frustration, all the anger seeping from her bones and melting into the keys.

She never really allowed herself to feel these emotions before. Sure, she got upset with Dean, but she’d blocked anything coming her way with alcohol. She got angry with Rio, and well, he’d blocked that with a kiss. That greasy man, who nearly raped her, she’d tried to push that so far down she didn’t want to deal with whatever emotion that made her feel.

****

She still didn’t know what any of this meant. And she was so close to breaking.

****

**…**

****

Rio came back to find Beth still at the piano. She’d been there for hours, and her hands were aching, but it felt good.

When she hit the last note, she sat back on the bench.

“You’re amazing red.”

Her head snapped to the side, startled.

“Sorry,” he said, “didn’t mean to scare you.”

“How long have you been standing there?”

****

He swayed towards her, hands in pockets. “Long enough to have heard the last two sonatas.”

“Oh.”

She didn’t have time to feel weird about him watching her because she remembered that she was angry with him for leaving her here. She understood that it was irrational anger but it was there nonetheless.

“What did you have to do?” It was a shot in the dark, asking him that. Rio had only recently begun sharing things about himself, so the possibility of getting an answer, and an honest one at that, was unlikely.

****

Rio went and sat on the edge of the couch, head down, elbows resting on knees.

“Nah, you don’t wanna know.” He sighed.

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. But I’ll listen if you do.” Beth moved to sit next to him. If he explained, she would calm down, she could understand.

****

They were silent for a while.

He looked even more tired than when she’d previously noticed his tense shoulders, hollow eyes. It was like something had changed in a matter of hours. It was possible, it just bothered Beth that she had no idea what was going on.

****

Eventually though,

****

“It’s, it’s my mother.”

“What’s wrong, what happened?”

****

He turned to her, but still didn’t look at her.

****

“My parents had a house in a fairly decent neighbourhood. After my father disappeared and the business went down hill, people started coming to house to look for him. Some of them were dangerous. I wanted her to move away, she wasn’t having it.”

Rio took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his forehead. His skin was slick with sweat.

“The same people kept coming back and one day they beat her up. When I got it there it was too late. They’d left.”

“That’s horrible.”

“They’re sick bastards. Today she called to tell me they came back. I went over sort them out, I don’t know if it’s done anything, I guess I’ll have to wait and see.”

“I’m sorry.” Beth said.

****

He shook his head vigorously. “It just pisses me off. You know, I grew up in that house and now I’m seeing everything go to shit. My mother, she loved doing things, gardening, going to church, it’s important to her. Now she’s too scared to even go outside.”

“Why doesn’t she want to leave?”

“She’s lived there for so long, and it’s the only good memories she has left of her husband. I can’t blame her, he used to be a good man, a good father. But now...”

****

Beth reached out to touch his hand with an apologetic smile. To her surprise, his fingers laced with hers. His eyes finally met hers.

****

“Come here.”

****

Beth lifted her feet on the couch and crawled into his lap.

His hand went to her face, tucking a few loose coppery strands of hair behind her ear.

“Kiss me.” The words drifted from his lips this time.

****

Hesitantly she connected her mouth to his, starting with the softest, slowest kiss she’d ever experienced. His hands landed on her waist and his tongue delved deeper.

****

But something wasn’t right. Beth pulled away and forced his lidded eyes up to hers.

****

“You’ve been drinking.” She whispered.

****

Rio shrugged his shoulders and lent forwards in search of her lips. Beth only pushed him back.

“No Rio.” Her fingers caressed his cheek. “You’re tired, and you’ve been drinking.”

****

She got up and pulled him with her, leading them to the bedroom.

****

**…**

****

Rio learnt more about Beth:

****

They didn’t have sex. Beth couldn’t let it happen, not when he was like that. So they slept. A full twelve hours.

Rio was the first to wake, but he didn’t get up. Beth was curled up next to him, hair wild, arms tucked under her pillow. He watched her, the rise and fall of her diaphragm, the long lashes resting on her cheeks. He could never get tired of the image.

****

After a while, Beth stretched her limbs and her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she did was smile at the blurred picture of Rio in front of her.

“You watching me sleep?” Came her soft, croaky voice.

“Maybe.”

“You do that often?” She yawned, her hand flying to her mouth.

He laughed.

****

“You’re beautiful. You know that?” He said, looking into her deep blue eyes.

“Stop it.” Beth hit him playfully on the shoulder. Rio scrunched his face, faking a pained look.

****

“I’m serious Elizabeth. I cannot for the life of me understand how you ended up with that pathetic excuse of a man. You find a good woman, you keep her.”

****

Beth’s body froze momentarily. Did he know about Dean’s infidelity? In all honesty it wouldn’t surprise her. Rio was good at finding things out, whether it was relevant to his business or not, she wasn’t sure.

But she reminded herself that it wasn’t worth caring about, and relaxed again.

****

“I can’t say I regret everything.” She said. Not specifically to Rio, more openly speaking. “He gave me my babies, and I love them.”

****

“But?”

****

“But he’s not a good husband. It’s funny, when we met I thought he was this amazing person, and because of how I was raised and because of my situation, I thought marrying him made sense. But it wasn’t the right thing to do.”

****

“How were you raised then?” Rio asked.

“My parents married young. My father was a perfect gentlemen, and I grew up seeing that. Bringing my mother flowers, taking her out to dinner, you know, the usual romantic thing. I guess I held Dean to that standard, and when he turned out to be a pig, I deflated.” The smile Beth had on her face dissolved the moment she mentioned Dean.

In that moment Rio wished he’d done worse damage to him that fateful night, but he stifled the thought and changed the subject.

“You mother sounds like a lucky woman.”

Beth snorted. “Too bad she couldn’t appreciate it.”

“What do you mean?” Rio frowned.

****

She’d realized the story of her mother’s antics was a long one, and didn’t have the energy to start it.

“It’s a story for another time… So what are we doing today?”

****

Rio leaned in and kissed her on the nose, “Getting you a new phone.”

Beth laughed.

****

**…**

****

Rio told Beth the truth (and she didn’t):

****

They were nearing the end of the three week trip, and Beth would be lying if she said both her and Rio hadn’t grown tired of the party routine and the people. They were all the same - rich and high maintenance. They both had a way with words, and in these situations, Rio’s arguments of persuasion coupled with Beth’s ability to sweet talk people made them quite a pair. So business had been good, just boring (but Beth had always been good at acting.)

****

This night in particular had been trying for both of them. Mr Reed and Mr Hadley had been there, which was comforting for Beth, having met them a couple of times throughout the past two weeks. They acted as an escape route when the company she was in became too much. And it happened to be the case tonight.

Rio had bumped into another man who’d briefly worked with his father, and Beth found it hard to believe that he could’ve been a decent human being even if he weren’t completely gone with an entire bottle of alcohol in his system.

He’d made some suggestive comments about Beth’s physique, which she’s found incredibly inappropropriate - it made Rio’s jaw clench, and his hands turn to fists, itching to punch him (because this man clearly didn’t understand that Beth was his.)

Though the tipping point came after his fifth glass of wine, and he’d bugan talking about Rio’s father, and the comments there were particularly caustic (while his father wasn’t exactly in his good books, it was still damaging to his name).

****

_“The problem with men like your father is that they have no ambition, no drive, no determination. It’s why your company can never amount to anything, hell look where it is now, you’re not doing much better, are you?”_

****

Rio had always considered his self control to be better than that of other people, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the satisfying crack of that man’s jaw when his fist connected to his face.

****

So what if he’d scandalised a few people? The bastard deserved it.

****

He went home angry, and Beth tried not to talk to him, lest she said something to make it worse. Though when she was convinced he was about to smash a hole in the wall she spoke up.

“Rio, I know you’re upset, but please don’t go do something stupid.”

****

He was pacing at the windows, and looked back at her.

“I’m not I just - fuck.”  He groaned, running his hands through his hair.

****

“You just what?” Beth asked carefully.

“I-”

“What Rio?”

****

“I- I, okay, look,” He let out a sigh of frustration, “All those things he said, they weren’t all lies.”

“What?”

“I didn’t tell you everything, I didn’t think it would be necessary, but now...”

“But now what? What do you mean they weren’t lies?” Beth stalked closer to him, “Please don’t leave me in the dark, I can’t take it anymore!”

****

“My father and my uncle were partners. My father worked his ass off to get the company where it was. Don’t get me wrong, I can never forgive him for abandoning it or his family, but that bastard cannot for one second tell me he didn’t have ambition, I know he did. I got it from him!”

****

Rio stopped pacing and took a deep breath, resting his body against the window. “But he was talking about his brother. Eduardo was lazy, he didn’t work. My father had to cut him off. He wasn’t happy about it, kept coming to me or pestering my mother. He was the one that hurt her.”

****

“All those boxes I made you get rid of, they were all filled with his crap, it was the last thing I had to do to cut ties. Though now he’s trying to creep back in...”

****

It was like all the puzzle pieces Beth had been trying so hard to place, had finally connected, finally made sense…

****

And she didn’t like the picture they painted at all.

****

Eduardo was the man who attacked her, asked her about Rio’s game, and now she understood, it just didn’t hurt any less.

She had to tell him, and now that it made sense, she had no reason not to.

****

But how do you gather the words? How do you line them up on your tongue and get them past the barrier of your lips?

****

**…**

****

Beth ran into trouble, and Rio found out:

****

It was the last week, and Beth was in a bar watching Rio sweet talk someone into deal.

The place was virtually empty, but it was a nice change to having been in crowded parties for the past few weeks. The room was dimly lit, the air thick with smoke. There was soft music playing too.

****

The business side was going well, like it always did, and Beth was starting to enjoy herself too much. When she caught herself beginning to sip from a third glass of wine, she stopped, feeling her cheeks turn pink.

Rio had asked if she was okay, because she’d looked uncomfortable (and she’d felt it too, having nothing in her hands, no one to talk to).

****

But she simply nodded and said she needed a moment to freshen up. So she went to the restroom.

 

**…**

 

Rio was in conversation with someone else now, not really paying too much attention to their words. Beth was taking long and he was starting to worry.

He looked over his shoulder in the direction of the restrooms, hoping to see her coming his way, and saw nothing. He scanned the rest of the room, thinking maybe she’d gone somewhere else.

Instead he was met with a sight that made his hand fly to the gun in his side pocket (the gun that he hadn’t told Beth about, knowing she’d freak out).

****

His eyes could have been deceiving him, though they rarely ever did.

****

The man was memorized in his head with a stringy comb over and a shit attitude towards business. Eduardo. Who else could it be?

He was standing at the opposite end of the room with one foot pressed to the wall, a drink in hand. Rio swung back to take a long swig from his whiskey glass, then looked again.

****

He shook his head slightly. Was he hallucinating, had he had too much to drink already? Either way it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

He got and made his way to him. The smell of old sweat already invaded his senses from at least a metre away. God, he did not miss having that around.

“So you're following me now?”  Rio asked, waiting for his uncle to acknowledge him.

His turned his head slowly, his chin jutting outwards.

“Rio! Mi querido sobrino.”

****

“What do you want?” Rio asked bitterly, shifting the weight on his feet.

“What games are playing with me?”

****

He sighed. Rio was so tired of this. He’d had this speech a million times over, and again when the last time he saw Eduardo at his mother’s house. She had been lying on the sofa with an ice pack when he found her.

He’d yelled at Eduardo until his voice was hoarse, given him a nasty blow to face - in fact the bruise was still visible, the dark purple bleeding out from the corner of his eye and running down his cheek. But it seemed he still did not understand.

“I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again. I’m not playing games. I’m cutting ties.”

****

For a moment, a silent staring match ensued, both their eyes narrowed, mouths turned upside down.

****

“I’m going to go back to my seat now,” Rio said firmly, “If you so much as lift a finger tonight, you’ll regret it...”

And with that, he turned on his heel and left.

****

On Beth’s way out of the restroom, an eerie quiet fell over the space of the hallway she was in. feeling uneasy, she began walking faster to get out -

****

and then:

****

She felt the pull before she saw it, and when she did, her back was against a wall, a clammy hand covering her mouth.

Her eyes flew to the person who had trapped her there.

****

The same pair of yellow teeth glared back at her.

****

Immediately she tried to push him away but he pressed the heavy weight of his body against hers.

****

“Uh uh sweetheart. You’re not getting away this time.”

****

He dug into the pocket of the dirty white blazer he was wearing and soon Beth felt something cold nudging against her neck.

It made her breath quicken, pulse race.

“Now, don’t make a sound, we wouldn’t wanna attract any unwanted attention, would we?.”

****

The cold edge travelled down her skin and stopped at her collarbone. She heard a click, and a deep sting pulsing through her shoulders made her whimper.

He’d flicked a switchblade open against her clavicle.

She didn’t bother looking down, she didn’t want to see if it looked as bad as it felt.

****

Slowly his hand lifted from her mouth and landed on her shoulder, pressing her harder against the wall. “Scream, and this knife goes straight between your ribs, understand?”

She nodded.

“Now tell me, what, is, Rio, doing?”

****

Beth took a big gulp of the hot air between them, hoping she could fight the tears threatening to fall, but the growing lump at the back of her throat wouldn’t let her.

“I told you.” _deep breath_ “I don’t know.”

“Bullshit.”

“I really don’t.”

“You’re his partner, you must know!”

****

She remained quiet. How else could she tell him she knew nothing? (Yes, Rio had given her a few details, but it’s not like she could ever trust him enough to tell him anything).

****

“Am I going to have to have to try some other kind of persuasion? Because sharp objects clearing aren’t doing it.” He hissed against her ear.

****

His fingers traveled to the slit on her dress and pushed his hand underneath the fabric.

****

“Stop, please.”

****

She didn’t know how she found the words, or why she even bothered uttering them. He hadn’t listened to her last time. Why would it be different this time?

She couldn’t even try to move. The edge of the blade was stilling digging into her skin, and she wasn’t dumb enough to see what would happen if tried to fight him.

****

He pressed his knuckles against her pelvic mound and a sickening groan left his throat.

“Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this.” He began unbuckling his belt...

_He wasn't going do this in the hallway, was he?_

****

Beth was just about ready to close her and pray for it to be over soon when the sound of footsteps made her head turn.

“Please someone, please,” She mouthed the words, staring at the dimly lit chandelier in the main room she could see from there.

****

With each nearing step becoming louder, the clicking of heels on the floor, the pressure on her shoulders decreased.

Something must have made him panic, not want to get caught, because soon, the weight holding her down was gone, and when she looked to him, he’d backed away. His back was pressed against the opposite wall.

****

She stared at Eduardo, waiting for a next move, but he just stood there, calmly wiping the blood off the edge of the blade.

There was a group of girls standing at the end of the hallway, surely he wouldn’t try anything while there were people around...

****

“You can run away now, but don’t worry, I’ll be back to finish this.” He said.

****

It was like the world around her had come to a stop, everything moving at a fraction of it’s normal pace.

Beth gently pushed herself off the wall and dared to look down to where the warm, sticky blood was dripping down her shoulder. The material of her dress was black, you couldn’t see it was soaked - but the image of red against milky white skin was jarring.

She awkwardly placed her hand over the cut and began walking out of the hallway. Staying away from any people she walked as fast as she could to the door.

She badly needed some air.

Looking back as she went, she noticed his blurry figure going through another door at the end of the hallway.

****

When she finally reached the door, her fingers had barely touched the handles when she felt Rio’s hands on her back.

“Beth, where are you going?”

She turned slightly, “I, I need fresh air.”

****

“Listen, we have to get out of here. I think  -” He put both hands on her waist and turned her around fully. “Why are you holding your hand like that?”

****

The moment he saw the smallest glimpse of red he pulled her hand away.

“Jesus Elizabeth what happened?” The color drained from his face, replaced with shock.

****

Beth untangled his hands from her body and pushed through the doors to get to the cool breeze outside. Rio followed her.

****

“Don’t fucking ignore me Elizabeth. Who did that to you?” He grabbed her wrists and made her to look at him.

“He kept t-trying to touch me again- I - he- he had a knife this time and I could-n’t stop him.”

Rio gripped her arms tighter, but not hard enough to hurt her, and she whined.

****

“What do you mean again? Who did that to you!” His brow furrowed with confusion and worry.

****

“It w-was him! Eduardo!” Beth shouted.

“Eduardo? My uncle, Eduardo?”

“Yes!”

Rio was taken aback, feeling like he’d just been punched in the gut. How could this be happening? She’d never even met the man…

“What do you mean he kept trying to touch you? When did you see him Elizabeth?”

****

Beth looked down at her feet, trying to hold back the tears.

“A few months ago he attacked me… held me down against the truck… ”

He understood what she was trying to say, and he didn’t want it to go there, didn’t want the image of a man like that staining Beth with his touch, hurting her, using her, in his head. It made his blood boil.

“He tried to rape you?”

A strangled sob left her throat, followed by a moment of silence. “I-I- yes.”

****

He let go of her and took a step back. Calling what Beth saw anger, is an understatement. She’d seen anger before, but this, this was pure unbridled rage. It was as if a some kind of ominous veil had enveloped his features, his eyes turning dark like a shark ready to kill.

****

“Where is he?”

“I don’t know, he was in the hallway by the bathrooms and-.”

****

Without allowing Beth to finish he stormed back inside. Following swiftly behind, she called out for him to wait, and of course he didn’t listen. She tried to keep up with him, but eventually stopped. Although there weren’t many people she didn’t think a scene like that would go unnoticed and she was right. A man that had spoken to them earlier was soon by her side, telling her she was bleeding. She simply said “I know” and collapsed in the nearest seat. Her shoulder stung like hell, and there was no way she could stop him. When Rio was on a mission, nothing could, and she knew that.

 

**…**

 

Rio disappeared out the back door at the end of the hallway.

There he found his uncle, smoking a cigarette. He looked at Rio through red puffy eyes like nothing had ever happened.

****

Then, he pounced, pushing him against the rough brick wall, his hands immediately wrapping around his throat. The anger coursed furiously through his veins, his ears almost rang with the intensity of it, _there was nothing that could stop him now._

“First my mother, and now my woman. Do you have a fucking death wish or something?” Rio asked through gritted teeth.

“I needed answers, thought I’d explore all avenues.”

An ugly laugh ripped through him. “I thought you would have backed down, guess I was wrong.” with one large hand still secured around Eduardo’s throat, his other reached for his gun.

But he stopped.

He couldn’t use it. It would be loud, and he didn’t have a silencer. There weren’t many people inside but he wasn’t about to risk the bang, and then have to flee with an injured Beth on his arm.

****

_Come on Rio, fucking think._

****

He’d cut Beth with a blade. If it was still on him, and if Rio had remembered anything of this man from his younger years, it was that he liked violence just has much as he did. That if it wasn’t a gun a buy his side, it was his knife.

A knife that he always kept wedged between the tight space of his thick leather belt and his pants.

****

It took only about a second, but it felt so much longer,

****

His free fingers snaked down to his belt, fumbling for a moment. Sure enough, it was there. Rio yanked the knife from it was tucked and flicked it open.

****

It ripped straight through Eduardo’s jean and jabbed the topped of his thigh.

He groaned in pain.

“Yeah, doesn’t feel that good, does it?” Rio said, squeezing harder around his throat, “It’s okay though, this will be over soon.”

His face went an even deeper shade of purple than what it already was, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull at the realization of his words.

Without even thinking twice about it, Rio thrust the blade straight in his chest, piercing bone and flesh, stabbing him right in the heart.

****

Eduardo’s face crumpled in agony, sputtering and gasping desperately. His hands flew up and pushed hard at his shoulders, but Rio stayed close, and soon his limbs went weak

****

Rio let go of him completely and watched as he sank to the ground, exulting in the scene unfolding.

He could never admit to himself or anyone else that he enjoyed this, when someone really deserved it, and he was the one doing the punishing… almost nothing could come close to how high it made him feel.

****

Once Eduardo’s body stopped writhing, and his eyes went stagnant, Rio pulled the blade from his chest. (He did not need that showing up as evidence with his fingerprints on it).

Taking one last look at his dead uncle, at the deep red patch growing on his chest, the tousled hair, eyes still open, he found it hard to feel bad, found it hard to feel anything at all actually. The man had fucked with his family and he should have dealt with it months ago.

****

He checked that the hallway was empty before walking back in, then going to the restroom. He wiped the blood from the blade and washed his hands.

****

When he went to the main room, he found Beth, a man clinging to her side, pressing a thick stack of paper towels to her shoulder. Suddenly he was filled with a completely different kind of anger…

****

_How could she not have told him about this?_

****

He rushed over to her and plastered the best polite voice he could.

“I appreciate the help,” he said to man next to Beth, “but I think can deal with this...”

Beth glared at him, and Rio matched her, his glare about ten times more lethal and saying _“you don’t have the damn right to look at me like that right now darlin’”_

“You sure?” the man shifted in his seat and looked up at him suspiciously, “I think it’s kind of deep.”

Rio was this close to taking the guy out… _“I fucking know, I can see.”_ he wanted to say.

“Look man, I’m her date. Let me deal with this.”

****

Rio waited as he let go of Beth reluctantly and shuffled away.

****

He gently pulled her up and took her arm, guiding her to the door. His own tenderness surprised him considering the raging fire burning inside him, he had never been capable of such softness before meeting her.

****

He remained soft until his lowered her into the passenger seat of his car. Then he slammed her door shut, making her jump.

****

He swung into his seat and began cursing when he couldn’t get the ignition to start at first.

****

“Are we going home now?” Beth asked, her voice barely above a whisper, too scared to speak.

“No, hospital. I don’t know how bad your shoulder is, you might need stitches.”

****

She processed and discarded the words as quickly as they came. Like hell she cared about that now.

****

Beth looked over at him with a mixture of fear, apprehension, and exhaustion. “What did you do?” Her voice trembled despite how hard she tried to fight it.

****

Rio said nothing.

****

“Rio, what did you do?”

****

His fingers were wrapped around the steering wheel with a death grip, his body was tense, his eyes burning with fury.

_Had he merely talked to him? Had he been violent? Had he done worse?_

****

There were multiple possible scenarios buzzing around in the back of her brain, and the worst one there tugged at her like a child would their mother’s sleeve. She didn’t want to touch it, didn’t want to believe it. Though, his unresponsiveness brought it closer to the foreground of her mind and it made her stomach turn in on itself.

 _Had he killed him?_ He was capable of it, obviously. He was a dangerous man, she’d always known this. But you tend to forget things like that when the big bad wolf becomes a puppy for a few weeks.

Beth began muttering obscenities, trying to calm her now rapid breathing. But then, Rio stopped the breakdown before it could fully happen.

“Elizabeth.”

And it was all she needed. The use of her full name was all it took to get her undivided attention.

****

So she waited for his next words, an explanation, something to call her nerves -  instead, it made her heart leap into her mouth.

****

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

His tone felt like ice running over her skin.

****

Beth leaned over and buried her head between her legs with a moan. There was no excuse for this. She could have told him multiple times, and “I’m sorry, I choked on my words” would definitely not have cut it for Rio.

****

“Elizabeth. You don’t get to do this. You can’t expect answers from me and not fucking answer me yourself. How could you keep this from me?”

****

“I asked you first...”

The way he looked at her made her rethink going down that route, so she didn’t push it, but she didn’t answer him either. And he didn’t answer her.

They were quiet all the way to the hospital, and on the way back too.

****

They were both upset about this, and Rio figured, they could talk about it in the morning, but one thing was for sure: his anger would not dissipate any time soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the aftermath of keeping secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this chapter actually has smut! (it's terribly written, just like everything else in this fic, but it's there)  
> I hope you guys like it :)

It was raining today, and the apartment was cold. No matter what room you were in, you felt the chill. Beth was sitting on the couch, watching the patterned raindrops run down the windows. She was tired. They’d been at the hospital up until the early hours of the morning. She didn’t need stitches, but the wound was still deep enough that she needed closure strips. Even though she’d taken some pretty strong painkillers, it still kept her up most of the night. She’d been racking her brain for the past few hours, reviewing last night’s events.

****

However, her train of thought was interrupted by a slamming door.

****

Rio had gone out before she’d woken up. He was still angry, and she figured he’d gone out to vent his frustrations. Though it was evident it didn’t help when he slumped down in front of her, his breath ragged, still fueled with fire.

****

Beth turned to him. “Where did you go?”

****

“Out. Needed to clear my head.”

“Yes, _where_?”

Rio only gave her a sour look.

****

They sat like that for a moment, the air thick with apprehension, mainly on Beth’s end, but Rio felt it too. They both still had unanswered questions, and unfortunately for Beth, Rio was impatient.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Beth’s muscles went tense. “Rio, I’m not sure I want to ta-”

“ _Why?_ ” He cut her off. He didn’t want to tiptoe around it, or play any unnecessary games.

“He didn’t actually rape me...”

“That’s not the fucking point Elizabeth! He assaulted you, and you didn’t tell me.”

Rio stood up with such a force she thought he would have flung the coffee table over. He glared at her, his eyes becoming daggers.

“I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t know he was connected to you, it didn’t seem relevant.”

She sank deeper into the couch, feeling the intense anger radiating off his body.

****

“But when you found out who he was you _still_ didn’t tell me!”

“I’m sorry, okay?”

Rio scoffed. “Uh uh, sorry ain’t gonna fix it. I get it’s hard to talk about, and I know it hurt, but this happened while you were doing a job _for me_. That connects me to whatever happens. And I thought you would have trusted me enough to tell me this, I thought -”

He stopped, not sure where he was going. They didn’t exactly have a smooth relationship. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t something there. There was, and he wouldn’t have slept with her if there wasn’t. So yes, he felt hurt that she hadn’t told him.

“You thought?” Beth asked softly.

“I thought we had a good relationship now.”

****

Beth didn’t know what to say. What could she say? Sure, they were better now, but it wasn’t comfortable. At least not after last night. Not after the tension that had built up in both of them during the three weeks.

****

Rio sighed, and sat back down. “Go pack your things.”

“W-what?”

“I’m taking you home.”

“Why? There’s still another party tomorrow.”

“Beth, you’re hurt, it’s one more. I can do it on my own.”

 

**…**

****

It was the longest car ride Beth had ever experienced. The intense swarming of emotions between them was so thick it was almost palpable. So when they finally stopped in front of Beth’s house, she let out a deep breath, releasing the tension pent up in her body.

****

“You need to look after that shoulder yeah? You got the pain meds and all that other stuff the doctor gave you right?” Rio said, breaking the momentary silence.

****

“Yes, thank you.”

She looked ahead of her and out the windshield. She wanted to get out of the car now, open the door and put one foot in front of the other until she had reached the safety of her front door. But something nagging her, clawing at her stomach wouldn’t let her.

“What is it Elizabeth?”

“What?”

“You look like you wanna say something.”

“It’s nothing, I just- ” Beth looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. She almost didn’t want to ask, but she knew for the sake of her sanity, she had to.

“Did, did you kill him?”

****

Rio kept his eyes in front of him, resting his hands on the steering wheel. The veil of anger that had masked his face since last night finally lifted. Beth saw something now that she couldn’t quite decipher - was it, was it regret she saw creeping over his features?

He didn’t want to tell her. He made no attempts to hide his intimidating nature for anyone, he wanted people to know that if they fucked wit him, they’d be sorry. But with Beth, he didn’t want her to know all the bad things he’d done - even so, the look in his eyes, the uneasy turn of his lips, they betrayed him.

****

“You did. Didn’t you?”

****

The continued silence gave Beth all the answers she needed. Surely if he hadn’t he’d defend himself. But all he gave her was the slight tick in his jaw, the flexing of his forearm as he moved his grip on the steering wheel higher up.

There was no response to the desperation in her eyes as she willed him to return her stare.

****

Beth quickly undid her safety belt. She clearly wasn’t going to get a proper discussion out of him, and she was ready to go home. “Goodbye Rio.”

As she stepped out, he caught her hand. “Wait.”

“Yes?” She bent down, and their eyes met.

“Just…”

_Come on, you idiot, say something to her._

“Just let me help you with your bags...”

****

Beth sort of deflated, with the hopes of an explanation gone.

 

**…**

 

Beth spent the next few weeks catching up on everything she’d missed. The kids couldn’t have been happier to see their mother and Beth felt the same. Dean had found an apartment and was moving out at the end of the week. She was so happy about it that she’d gone to celebrate with the girls - and to give them the ‘deets’ as Annie put it. So she’d given the shorter, boring version of the trip. Excluding the parts where she’d slept with Rio, and the entire last week. (She’d blamed her shoulder injury on a nasty fall when they asked about it.)

It was better that way too. The less she spoke about Rio the better, because honestly, she didn’t know where they stood or when she’d hear from him again. If she’d hear from again. (they were after all, as he said, off the hook now).

Though the thought of being off the hook, done with Rio, made her sad. She didn’t want to be done with him. Things didn’t go so smoothly for them, but it doesn’t mean she was okay with him just walking out of her life. He left his mark on her now. Scarred her - and there had to be more to it than that.

****

Beth buried the thought for now though. Her stories were over and her girls had things to report too.

Annie had been trying to renegotiate terms with Greg, in the hopes of getting Sadie to stay with her more often. So far, things were going well. She’d managed to get her daughter for an extra few days a week and in the process become closer to Greg.

****

Both Beth and Ruby gave her a knowing look when they noticed the sparkle in her eye when she mentioned Greg - to which Annie simply scoffed and said: “Come on guys. We’re just really good friends now, that’s all. Besides, he’s married.” After exchanging looks, the two of them finally stopped bugging her about it.

****

Stan was slowing warming up to Ruby again and he’d finally cracked a smile for the first time in months. He’d been sleeping on the couch up until a week ago when he moved back into the bed with her. Sarah was still spending a ton of time at the hospital but she was improving so they really had nothing to complain about.

 

**…**

 

Since coming back, Beth tried to keep herself busy. Helping the kids with school, making small changes around the house, things she could now do with Dean out of the house. The divorce papers had come around and they’d both signed (only after one last round of begging from Dean)

_“Please, Bethy. Just give me one more chance. It’ll be different, I promise. I really still do love you.”_

****

Though Beth quickly shut down his pathetic blabbering.

****

_“Should have thought of that before fucking your secretary then.”_

****

Beth scribbled down her signature, and with it came this massive relief, a weight lifted off her shoulder. She finally had the one thing that Dean had taken away from her all those years ago (even if it had been unintentionally)

****

Freedom.

****

Beth watched as he drove out of the driveway, feeling good about the fact that it would be the last time she’d ever have to see him do that. Even after he’d gone she stayed at the door frame, taking a moment to breath. The sun was setting, casting the sky in soft reds and pinks. It had been a while since it had been this pretty outside.

****

Just as she was about to go back inside, she saw a black car driving down her road. Rio’s cadillac.

It came up into the driveway, stopping exactly where Dean’s car had been. Beth wasn’t sure if she wanted to run back inside (pretend she hadn’t seen him) or run to him. She moved away from the door and stepped forward as he stepped out of his car.

They looked at each other for a moment, both unsure of what to say.

****

“Elizabeth...”

Beth pursed her lips. “You’re still angry?”

“Honestly, yeah. But I’m assuming you are too.”

“Yeah.”

“Can we talk?”

Yes she was still upset, but happy to see him nonetheless (not that she’d let it show). So of course she’d let him talk. He could be delivering the worst news of her life, either way, just to hear him, be near him again, it would be worth it.

****

“Okay.”

****

Beth walked back inside to the kitchen, expecting him to follow. When she heard the click of the front door closing she knew he had.

****

He settled against the kitchen island opposite her, where she was digging in the cupboard for the strongest bottle of alcohol she had, and he looked at her questioningly.

“If we’re going to do this I need a drink.” She explained.

****

Beth took out two shot glasses and filled them to the brim. Not waiting for Rio to take his she pushed the contents of hers down in one swallow, slamming it back onto the table with a sigh.

Rio chuckled at the sight and took his - slower than hers, but it didn’t mean he didn’t need it. These past few weeks had been rough on both of them.

****

“Now. Why are you here?” Beth asked, clearing her throat.

“Elizabeth, look,” Rio sighed,  “We can’t undo what’s happened. I can’t keep getting angry because you didn’t tell me. I’ll never be okay with it, and I’m sorry if I upset with the way I acted, but I do think my anger is valid.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Rio looked down to the floor and rolled his shoulders. “But I understand why you did it.”

“So you forgive me?” Her voice came in a whisper.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” The words came out weak, like it pained him to say them and Beth could understand that a man like Rio was not the forgiving type. So maybe it had taken a lot for him to say it, but she appreciated it regardless.

“Thank you.”

“Okay.”

Beth had already sort of already answered the question she was about to ask herself, but even so, she needed to hear it from him, had to make sure he’d own up to is actions, that he’d be honest with her for the rest of whatever it was they were getting themselves into.

“Rio...”

“Yes?”

“Did you kill him?”

His head hung momentarily. “If you didn’t like the answer what would you do?”

“Well, I don’t know, what do you mean?”

“Wouldn't you leave? Stop whatever this is.”

“No, Rio. I wouldn’t leave. I _can’t_ leave. You’ve scarred me too much to want to leave. And I already know the answer. But I didn’t think about bailing, I’d never. Not after...” She didn’t finish that sentence. _Not after everything she’d seen, not after everything she felt for him._ Beth stepped closer to him, willing him to look at her. “I understand when it comes to your business, your family too, there are things you just have to do, even if it’s ugly. It’s for their safety. I just need to hear you say it.”

Their breathing filled the silence while Rio figured out what to say, because there really was no nice way to phrase what had happened, though, if she already knew, did he really have to sugarcoat it?

“Elizabeth, that man has given me and the people I care about nothing but trouble, and hurting my mother, _hurting you_ , that was the final straw. So, yes. I killed him, and I don’t regret it.”

She couldn’t argue over this. Just as she had done something irrational and down right stupid just to save her family, he had done the same.

Beth took one last step and reached out to hold his face in her hands. She kissed him. Slowly and with a new understanding that they had both gained from being apart.

They pulled away from each other and Rio grinned at her.

“So, I saw car man driving past me. I thought you kicked him out, what was that about?” Rio asked.

“If you must know, he just came over to give me the divorce papers.”

“Oh.” He honestly didn’t know what to expect.

Rio’s surprise made Beth want to laugh, but she suppressed it with a smile. “Yeah, oh.”

“In that case...”

He gently pushed her against the counter and planted his hands on her hips.

Beth inhaled sharply. “In that case, what?”

“It means that I can do this.” Rio leaned in and latched his mouth onto her neck, sucking hard on a pulse point..

Beth moaned, her hands grabbing the hem of his shirt. Her eyes fluttered closed as she soaked up the sensation all over again. It felt good, even better than she’d remembered when she felt the sharp tugging at her skin she stopped him…

“N-no, Rio.”

He pulled back, his eyes clouded with lust, breath heavy. “I know you want this Elizabeth.”

She shook her head, “I do, god, I do, but...”

“But?”

“It’s just that you’re going to leave marks if you do that.”

He laughed, a deep rumble rising from his throat, and it made Beth’s stomach to a backflip.

“Oh darlin’, I intend to.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “See, now that you’ve signed those papers, you’re no longer his.”

If Beth hadn’t been so turned on by the feel of his breath on her face, or his body pressed against her, she might have argued, because she stopped seeing herself as belonging to Dean a long time ago. He didn’t deserve her.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. You’re mine now.”

Her legs nearly turned to jelly on the spot at his words. Rio leaned in and kissed her properly this time, his tongue invading her mouth, drawing out her sweet moans. Beth pulled back, her hands palming his cheeks. “You sure about this?”

“I’ve told you before, I want you.”

“I want you too.”

Their lips connected again, and they kissed with an urgency they’d never felt before. It was like a switch had flipped. Rio’s hands travelled the length of her thighs and hooked his fingers around them, roughly turning her around so that she was pushed against the kitchen island.

Beth curled her fingers around the edge of the cool surface behind her and hoisted herself up onto it.

“You want it here mama, or bedroom?”

She laughed and kissed him again. “I can’t wait, I want it here.”

Without any further discussion, she kicked off her shoes, and unbuttoned her jeans. Rio wasted no time in tugging them off, dropping them on the floor next to him and roughly parting her milky white thighs. He pulled her panties to the side and ran his fingers over her folds before dipping them into her pulsing core.

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me.” The groan that escaped his throat when he felt her only made her more desperate.

“Please Rio...” She begged.

He began fingering her slowly, curling his fingers to hit the right spots, making her whimper.

“Get my belt.”

Her hands flew from where they were perched on his chest to his pants, and loosened his belt. She pulled them down just enough to free his erection. Beth took his dick in her hands and pumped once, twice, gauging his reaction. When she looked at him his teeth were gritted, eyes feral. The sight made her grin.

Rio quickly kissed it away and pried her hand away, then lined himself up at her entrance. He pushed the tip in slowly, making Beth whine. 

She was about to urge him on, when, without warning, he violently slammed into her the rest of the way, now fully immersed in her.

Then again, and again.

Beth gasped in surprise each time, not having time to adjust to his length.

When he realized he wasn't allowing her to get used to him, Rio’s hands came to rest on her arms. “Need me to slow down baby??”

“No, I liked that. Do it again, harder.”

His lips curled up into a half smile before pulling her closer to the edge of the island to penetrate her deeper. He continued his assault, his grip tight, and she exalted in each thrust, each grunt, each hot breath pressed against the shell of her ear bringing her closer to the edge.

When she came, her heels dug into the back of his legs, her nailed dragged across his back with a long string of profanities rolling off her tongue.

Then she went limp in his arms, melting against his chest.

“You did so good baby. You think you can hold on for me?” Rio asked sweetly, resting his head against her temple.

He felt her nod. “Okay.”

Beth straightened up as best she could and tightly wrapped her arms around his back, waiting for the forceful impact of his pelvis. As he continued, his lips traced her neck, leaving hickeys below her collarbone and exposed cleavage.

When he came, he bit down on her shoulder, pressing himself harder against her, riding the waves of pleasure with her.

Stayed glued together like that for a while, Beth resting her head in the crook of Rio’s neck, breathing in his scent. And Rio just soaked up the feeling of having her in his arms, knowing from that moment on, after everything, he’d never let her go. They beth knew what this moment meant for both of them.

 

_if you can forgive for all my flaws,_

_for all the secrets I’ve ever had,_

_for every horrible thing I’ve ever done, or will do,_

_for the blood that I can’t always wash from my hands_

_then I think, we’ll be just fine_

 

“Hey Rio, no more secrets from here, okay?”

“No more secrets, Elizabeth.”

  



	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth and Rio discuss their relationship and what happens next

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when I'm done writing these things, I always feel like they make no sense, is that just me?  
> anyways, I like this chapter, I hope you like it too, I'd love to hear your thoughts

_No more secrets._

****

The more Beth thought about it, the more she thought about telling the girls what was going on with her and Rio. It had only been a few days since they made up, but a lot had happened, things that she hadn’t told them, and she wanted to. She was sitting on one of the stools in the kitchen, and Rio had just handed her a cup of coffee. Beth mumbled her thank you, not even looking at him, too busy with her thoughts.

****

Rio took a sip from his mug, his eyes never leaving her. Her face was scrunched. “What you thinking so hard about momma?” He finally asked.

“Oh nothing. I guess-  I was wondering- what happens next?” Beth asked, sitting up straight.

“What do you mean?”

“Can I tell Ruby and Annie about this? Us?”

Rio put his mug down and came to sit next to her, gently taking her hand in his. “Well, that depends.”

“On?”

“If you wanna do this, a relationship.”

The way his eyes penetrated hers in that moment made her feel strangely vulnerable, but it also told her that he was serious about this.

“Yes, I do.” She answered truthfully.

Rio smiled. “And we do it properly too. When you’re ready, you can meet my mother, and I can meet the kids, or whatever other family you haven’t told me about.”

“I’d like that.” Beth said sweetly.

He pulled her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on her palm.

****

“Right. If we’re doing this, then we gotta talk about your employment situation.” Rio pulled back and made himself comfortable next to her.

“What about it?” Beth asked, curious.

Rio had been thinking about this for a while, what might happen if things between them progressed like they did. How would they fit into each other’s lives? He’d learnt early on never to mix business with his personal life, and if Beth was working for him, that would create some problems. That said, he knew she still had expenses. He’d done some digging and he thinks maybe he’d found a solution.

“I know I said you were off the hook, and don’t know if you thought that you were still working for me - ”

“I did.” She interrupted.

“Okay,” His voice was hesitant, “But, I don’t want you working for me anymore.”

“What? Why?!” Beth nearly spat.

“Baby calm down.” Rio laughed softly, understanding her reaction, but finding the way her voice rose adorable anyway.

“We still need the money Rio.”

“I know. But I don’t wanna mix my relationships, any relationships outside of business with my work. It makes things messy, and I don’t like it.” Beth just stared at him, confused. _What was he doing?_ “You remember William Hadley and Jonathan Reed?”

“Yes, of course.”

“So…” Rio was still smiling at her like an idiot and she wasn’t sure how to react. “They need a new marketing manager for an upcoming project.”

“Okay?”

“I spoke to them, said you’d maybe be up to it.”

“Why me?” Beth asked, taken aback.

“You told them yourself, you have a degree, you have the knowledge. It’ll only be a few months. Nothing too time consuming.”

“Rio, yes, I have a degree, _a degree I’ve never used_ , I have no experience.”

“So? You gotta start somewhere, don’t you?” Beth looked away, unsure of his proposition. She hadn’t had a job in years, and even then, it had nothing to do with what she’d studied.

Rio sighed, seeing her hesitation., “Look, if you don’t like it, then you don’t have to do it. Just talk to them about it, skype call them, I’ll take you to dinner with them or something, I don’t know. But please just check it out, for me, please?”

****

Beth weighed out the options in her head. She could hardly defy this man when he was asking so nicely, and he only had her best interests at heart. Besides that, she needed a source of income, and Rio was right, you don’t mix family and business. I mean, look at what happened with his father - sure he’d gotten the business from him, but he never really had a choice, with a family to support. There were no relatives involved in his business now, as far as Beth was aware.

****

She leaned over and gave him a peck on the mouth. “Okay, for you.”

 

**…**

 

As it turned out, Beth didn’t even have to worry about bringing up Rio at an appropriate time - the subject had sort of brought itself up (needless to say, the timing was appalling, it couldn’t be avoided, and not even Beth could have wriggled her way out of the conversation.)

The girls had come over for their weekly binge of the bachelor, or whatever crappy reality tv was on that day. The night had been relaxed and the girls had been enjoying themselves, until:

“Hey Beth, what’s that mark?”

 _Oh shit_ . She didn’t even have to look down to know what Ruby was talking about. She’d completely forgotten about it too. _Damn it, Rio_. He’d gotten a little carried away and adorned nearly her entire upper half with love bites. He had been careful with placement, but even so, still managed to leave a few high enough for other people’s viewing.

Beth tried to brush it off at first, “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Though of course the speed at which her hand flew to cover the marks only made Ruby study her harder.

“What did you do?” Her eyes narrowed.

“What- I didn’t do anything.” Beth’s eyebrows shot up defensively.

“Hmm. Annie, get in here!”

Annie came running from the kitchen, two bags of chips in one hand, a bottle of wine in the other. “What? I was still busy picking which one I wanted.”

“Come look at this.” Ruby yanked at Beth’s high neck shirt, finding more hickeys. “Oh my god.”

Annie peered down her shirt. “Jeez Beth, who attacked you?”

“Did, did you sleep with someone?” She looked away. “Did you?” Ruby grabbed her arm, getting her full attention.

“Who was it?” Annie asked, grinning from ear to ear - she was clearly excited that her sister no longer had ‘dried up ass twigs’

Beth took a deep breath. “Please don’t freak out...”

“Okay.”

“Before I say who it is, I need you guys to know that it's not just sex.”

“Meaning?” Ruby asked.

“ _Meaning_ , it’s - we, we have feelings for each other, and we’re taking it further.” Both their eyes grew wide in anticipation.

“Just tell us Beth.”

_Okay, deep breaths,_

“It’s Rio.”

****

There it was, it was out. Beth quickly curled into a ball on the couch next to them and waited for their response, which at the moment was just a glare of confusion and shock. There was silence for longer than what Beth was hoping for.

“So, are you guys just gonna stare at me like that or?” She asked.

Annie laughed nervously. “That’s a joke right? Please tell me that was a joke.”

“Why would I joke about this?”

Ruby’s eyebrows shot up. “Because you like drama Beth!”

“No  I d-” Beth looked down at her hands, then back up, a grin on her face, “Guys, I’m not kidding”

Annie watched her smile grow. “Shit Ruby, she’s serious.”

“What?.”

“Come on, when’s the last time she smiled like that? She sure as hell doesn’t look like that when we mention Deansie.”

Ruby stared at Beth for a moment, who was now trying her best to hold in a laugh. “She could have that look on her face because she’s messing with us.” She said, annoyed.

“Is it really that hard to believe?”

“ _It’s Rio we’re talking about!_ ” Ruby’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull.

“Yeah,” Beth confirmed, giggling.

****

She spent the next few minutes answering questions and explaining everything, even though Ruby wasn’t entirely on board - she’d need evidence. She’d explained how they’d slept together the first time and the way it escalated from that. Her sister had been really understanding (shocked, but understanding nonetheless) and it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, which was good, because it was one thing she could scratch of her list of anxieties.

 

**…**

 

Beth was standing by her dresser, combing through her hair vigorously when Rio walked into the bedroom and found her like that.

“You nervous red?” He asked, his lips curving up into that familiar smile.

“No.” She huffed out.

“Hmm, yes you are.”

Damn it. This man could read her like a book. It was just such a pity she couldn’t do the same. Beth just rolled her eyes at him, not willing to admit that he was right. “Don’t worry Elizabeth, my mother is gonna love you.” He came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing a kiss on her ear. “My family kinda has that effect on everyone, when they meet us, they love us..”

Beth burst out laughing at the absurdity of what he’d just said. “I’m sorry, but I _did not_ love you when I first met you, you were terrifying!”

“Yeah, but I’ve managed to sway you.”

“I wouldn’t get too cocky if I were you...”

“Oh, I think I can. You were scared when I met the kids, and now look, _they love me_.”

Beth tried to stifle her laugh. “Come on, we’re gonna be late if you don’t let me get ready.”

****

Rio was right though. She had been scared, but the kids did love him. Of course they did. There were a lot of questions at first,

Emma had asked about his tattoos, Jane had asked how they met. Kenny and Danny had asked about what Rio did. And Beth had been on edge for each, but Rio being Rio, could answer questions on the spot, charmingly, and truthfully, well, for the most part.

He told Emma that he loved eagles, and she giggled, told him that her favourite animals were bunnies.

He told Jane that their paths had crossed at Fine and Frugal, which really, wasn’t a lie, they had met through the store.

He told Kenny and Danny that he owned a few small businesses, that he was an entrepreneur. Beth had smiled at their wide grins and the silly string of questions that had followed after. As far as she could tell, they were impressed.

 

**…**

 

They pulled up in front of a carriage style house made with white wood and green roof tiles. The garden was small but well kept, blooming with red roses and various other lush greenery.

Beth stepped out of the car, trying her best not to fall over, even though she was wearing flats (she was gonna have to get her nerves under control).

Rio took her hand and walked her up the narrow path lined with large stepping stones up to porch, where he rang his mother’s doorbell.

The door swung open a few seconds later, and a short, plump lady with dark, curly hair materialized in front of them. Her smile was just as infectious as she’d remembered from the photo she’d seen all those weeks ago.

“Rio, mi bebé!” She announced, lunging forward to embrace him wholeheartedly. “I’m so happy you came.”

The few words Beth had heard her speak was enough for her think this woman’s voice was pure honey, sweet and golden.

She let go of him eventually and turned to Beth, her mouth agape. “Oh mijo, she’s beautiful.”

Rio laughed, and nodded in agreement. “Mami, this is Elizabeth. Beth, my mother, Maria.”

He could barely finish the introductions when Beth was pulled into the same hug Rio had just received.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you! And you are even lovelier that Rio described!”

“Thank you, it’s nice to meet you too.” Beth responded sweetly.

“Well, let’s not wait outside, come in, come in!” Maria looked back at Rio once more before taking Beth’s hand and pulling her inside.

****

The afternoon had been lovely. Rio’s mother had cooked the most amazing paella, and Beth couldn’t have complimented her enough. They’d spoken about the house (Maria was awfully proud of it)  and Beth had asked more about Rio, figuring, it was her best chance to hear things he wouldn’t tell her himself. (That conversation had ended with Beth and Maria in peels of laughter, over a story involving a preteen Rio, a bag of oranges, and the neighbour’s dog. Rio was unimpressed, but found it hard to focus on that when he saw how wonderfully the two got a long) Beth soaked up everything this woman had to say. She was indeed, only after one meeting, in love with her.

****

Though, Beth’s voice got caught in her throat when asked,

“So, how did you and Rio meet?”

****

Luckily, Rio had sensed Beth’s panic, and swooped in to rescue her. “We met on the job. Beth is freelancer in marketing, mami.” _nice save_ , she thought.

“Oh, so we’re more than just a pretty face then.” Maria commented, intrigued.

“Yeah, she might have a new project coming up, and I’m super excited for her.” Rio said, winking in Beth’s direction.

She smiled at him, then kicked him lightly under the table. They hadn’t decided on that, not yet. She might not even take the job, and then all this bragging would have been in vain.

****

At the end of it all, Maria had kissed them both goodbye and sent them off with leftovers (she had joked that Rio didn’t eat enough, and she’d given enough that Beth could probably feed her kids too.)

****

“So, how was that?” Rio asked later on in the car on the way home.

“She’s amazing, Rio. I loved it.”

“I knew you would.”

“Was there any doubt that I would? She’s a complete sweetheart” Beth turned towards him and he laughed.

“Don’t let that sweet nature fool you.” He joked, “She can be just as feisty as you when she wants to be.”

“Well, if that story with the wooden spoon is anything to go by then...” Her words dissolved into giggles at the memory of Maria’s words.

“No more stories about my childhood.” Rio said, giving her a mean side eye, but his tone clearly showed that he found it funny too.

****

After the amusement had died down, Beth felt Rio’s hand slip over her leg and came to rest on her inner thigh. She gasped at the contact.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just not used to this, that’s all.”

“ _This?_ ” Rio lightly squeezed the flesh beneath his palm.

“I’ve never-  Dean never used to t-”

“I’m not him, Beth” he interrupted, “I’m gonna treat you better than he ever did, you got me?” He began removing his hand, but Beth quickly covered it with hers. She didn’t want him to move. Just because she wasn’t used to it, doesn’t mean she didn’t like it.

“Yeah, I got you.” She smiled at him, trying to lighten the mood.

****

Rio reckoned the question was just asking for trouble, but he was curious, “Would your mother approve of me?”

“Sorry?”

“I mean, if we’re on the subject of Dean, and your mother managed to approve of a pig like that, then I wonder, what would she think of me?”

Beth looked out the window and sighed, “She probably wouldn’t approve, but then, I don’t really approve of her, so I wouldn’t care what she thought of you.”

“So you don’t want me meeting your parents then?” Rio asked.

“Well, my father’s dead, and I haven’t spoken to my mother in years.” It felt odd, saying that out loud, the only other person who knew of the tension between her and her mother was Annie.

“I’m sorry. You never told me that.”

Beth shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, “Never really came up I guess.”

Rio’s hand moved from her thigh to hand, and laced his fingers through her. While her grieving had ended a long time ago, this small gesture gave Beth more comfort than her mother ever did.

****

**…**

 

It was early on a Sunday morning. Dean had just come over to pick up the kids for the week. For the most part Beth tried to avoid lengthy conversations when this happened because he has a habit of droning on and she had things to do. Though this morning, when he asked if Rio was there, she had gotten curious. Beth had told him that they were in a relationship, but he never said anything about it, still doesn’t (the mention of Rio makes him go pale). So it brought her back to the question she had playing on her mind months ago, _what had Rio said to him?_

****

Beth went back inside to find Rio in the living room, snacking on the leftover cookies she’d made for the kids - Maria was wrong, the man did eat a lot.

“These are good,” he mumbled, a mouth full of crumbs, “Next time you’re making a batch just for me.”

“Okay, hungry boy. Don’t eat too many though, I’m still making proper food later.”

Beth grabbed the bag of cookies from him and dumped them in the kitchen, then went back to him. She was finally going to ask, the thought of knowing the answer didn’t scare her anymore. “Um, Rio, I was wondering...”

“Yeah?”

She looked up from the spot she’d been staring at on the floor, “The night you got released from the feds and you came here...”

He raised her an eyebrow, “What about it?”

“What happened with you and Dean?”

“Car man didn’t tell you?”

“No. I did try and ask, but he pisses his pants every time I bring it up. He’s scared of you.”

“Good.”

“So, what happened?” Beth held her breath.

“I was just gonna wait to hash it out with you, but he was here. Started going on about how I was using you or some other bullshit. I was patient at first, then he took a swing at me.” Rio shrugged. “It was only fair that I did the same, didn’t care that he was already messed up, cause man, whatever he did, it wasn’t pretty.”

“Yeah, car accident,” Beth commented under her breath.

“It just pissed me off, that’s all. I told him...” Rio looked Beth in the eye and continued, “that you were no longer his, and if he tried anything funny with you I’d beat him up so hard he’d need someone to wipe his ass for him.”

Beth considered his words for a moment. Was that it? Was that really all it took to shake him? “Is it bad that I don’t find that scary?”

“That’s cause you weren’t there.”

“I guess so. I still wouldn’t be scared, not now.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” She didn’t know why, but his tone made it sound like a challenge, that maybe there’ll be a moment in the future that changes her mind. But before she could comment, he changed the subject.

****

“Okay, now you’ve gotta tell me something.”

“Anything.”

“What did you tell Turner about me?”

She didn’t know what she was expecting, but even so the question made her blush.

“Why do you want to know?” She laughed nervously.

“I told you, it’s only fair.” He smirked, stepping closer to her.

“It’s-” She cleared her throat, “It’s not relevant.”

“Come on red, tell me all the dirty things I did to you.” His bluntness made her redden more.

Rio pulled her close to him, kissing her long and hard, and she didn’t stop him.

****

She figured, if she was going to tell him, she might as well have some fun too. Beth gently pushed him back until his legs hit the edge of the couch and fell into the cushioning. She wasted no time in straddling him and pressed her mouth to his neck, trailing kisses all the way back to his lips.

“We met at a bar, you came home with me and we drank a little.” Rio’s hands clutched tightly at her waist, pressing her against his growing erection. “You kissed me, and I was hesitant, so you kissed me harder.”

“Go on mama...”

Shamelessly, Beth began to grind down on him. “We stumbled across the house, not knowing where we were going, unable to pull apart. We ended up in the kitchen.”

Rio only grunted in response. Beth rose off his lap slightly and tugged at his jeans, unbuttoning and pulling them down. He helped her the rest of the way before pulling her back down. “You pushed me against the island, bending me over at the same time, you didn’t even bother to look out for the plates that were still there. You were rough, and I liked that.”

“I know you do.” Rio said, laughing. He reached for the edge of her dress and in one fluid motion, pulled it over her head.

“The tight black dress I was wearing - the low cut one, you yanked it up over my hips an..” She moaned, feeling Rio’s hand slip into her underwear.

“And, I stood back to admire you, cause damn, that creamy skin of yours, and that ass.”

Beth lightly wrapped her fingers around his neck, bringing her lips to his, “Hey, who’s telling the story here?”

The way his adams apple bobbed beneath her palms only encouraged her. She quickly got up, pulling her underwear off completely before resuming her position. “You pulled my lace panties down all the way, removing them too. You put them in your back pocket, but I don’t find out until later.”

Beth took his hard length in her hand and stroked up and down, slowly at first, then sped up. “Then, you pressed your knee in between my legs and pushed them apart.”

She kept on teasing him, watching as his jaw clenched.

“Elizabeth, if you don’t give me...”

She silenced him with a kiss and finally pushed herself down onto him. They both moaned at that. They waited, before moving again, enjoying the close contact.

Then Rio urged her to move, and she did, taking him as deeply as she could before rising and slamming back down on him again, circling her hips. It took a moment to find a rhythm that worked, matching both their eagerness.

The pleasure building in her belly made it harder to speak coherently, but she continued anyway. “You fucked me hard, one hand digging into my waist, the other on my shoulder blade. You didn’t know, but I had the kids’ leftover pancakes pressing into my breasts, the fresh blueberries bursting under the weight of them.”

“Mmm, I can imagine,” Rio said, his voice hoarse.

Beth moved one hand to his chest, the other wrapping around the back of his neck for leverage and began moving faster. “When we’re done, an, you’ve made me come s-so hard,  you turn me around to face you, and, an, you see th-the mess you’d made on m- ah, fuck...”

She pressed her lips against his, moaning down his throat. “You tug my dress down, exposing my entire torso and...”

“And?” Rio snaked his hand down to where they were connected and slid his thumb over her clit.

“Ah shit. Don’t stop.” Beth’s grip in his neck intensified.

“What do I do Beth?” Rio asked, his voice full of lust and amusement. He wanted her to come undone, but enjoyed watching her struggle to keep up.

“You-  fuck, Rio I’m gonna come… you lick the juice running down my chest, nibble at the sticky pulp between my breasts. And you moan, god, you moan, cause you can’t help how good it feels…oh my god...”

Rio flicked his fingers over her one last time, and she shattered, sobbing, writhing uncontrollably in his lap, her core contracting around him - it was all Rio needed to be pushed over the edge too, and he came with her.

****

Their laboured breaths filled the air as they came down from their high.

“You wanna finish?” Rio asked, panting.

Beth took a moment to catch her breath, then sat up lazily, kissing his neck on the way. “You tell me that it tastes like ambrosia, that you want me to taste it too. So you kiss me again… and again. You- _we_ just don’t stop. You kiss me all night long.”

She smiled at him, like he was one of the best things she’d ever seen, and damn her if he wasn’t.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, wow.”

“I sincerely hope you didn’t tell him all that.”

“Well, I added a few extra details for you.” She said, giggling.

Rio laughed, a warm, comforting thing that enveloped Beth in an emotion she hadn’t felt in a long time. An emotion she wasn’t sure she’d ever feel for someone else ever again - _love_.

She didn’t want to decide if it scared her or excited her, or even if she should tell him. So instead, kissed him again, hoping that it would do for the time being.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth hits a tiny speed bump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English didn't really cooperate with me, I'm sorry in advance lol. I hope you like it, let me know if you like where the plot is going and if you have any suggestions x

It had been a good month for the girls.

Annie moved up the food chain at Fine and Frugal, she’d been working harder for months actually. Now her pay had been raised a substantial amount, which meant she could finally get Sadie a new computer, or whatever else she wanted really.  

Although Sarah’s hospital visits did not stop entirely, they had lessened, which was great for her, and it meant that Ruby could finally come home not smelling clinical. Stan had stopped mentioning what they had done, so she could only assume he’d made his peace with it (or at least she hoped).

Beth spent most of her time for the past few weeks rearranging furniture and painting walls (much to the kids delight too, Danny had been begging for a blue room). Dean had been out for a while and she was tired of the old feeling the house gave her, the feeling Dean had given it.

But now?

Now Beth had a fresh view. She had happy kids. She had time to relax and do the things she liked. She had someone in her life who supported her - she had Rio.

****

She’d thought about the job offering a bit more, and she was starting to like the idea. Rio had agreed to take her to dinner within the next week to meet with Mr Hadley and Mr Reed, they just had to agree on a time and a place.

****

It was early on a Tuesday morning. Ruby had come over, not wanting to do the usual coffee session at the diner. Beth had just settled next to her, leaning on the island when Rio came strolling past, car keys in hand.

“You going somewhere?”

“Cisco and the boys need help at the warehouse. Oh by the way, I’m taking you out on Friday to meet with Mr Hadley, make sure you’re free.” He brushed past them, heading to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. “Hi Ruby.”

Ruby nodded back in greeting, still too scared to talk to the man.

“That’s great, I’ll check… and Rio, be careful okay?” She could never be certain that he was safe, and it had become a habit, saying it every time he went somewhere without her. He’d tell her the same, and it was comforting.

Rio came up behind Beth, curling an arm around her waist and said, “I will, Elizabeth,” before giving her a quick kiss and heading out the door.

****

Beth smiled giddily, _she’d never get over kissing him_. She looked over at Ruby, who was already staring at her.

“What?”

“You’re like a lovesick puppy, you know that?”

“Oh let me enjoy it.”

“It’s just weird seeing you two, seeing _him_ like that.”

“I know.”

Beth could almost feel the uncertainty radiating off her. After taking a long sip from her mug she sighed, “You think I’m making a mistake.”

“Beth, you’re a grown woman. You can do what you like, I just need you to be careful.” She placed a hand over Beth’s. “Annie and I haven’t warmed to him, that’s all. If you’re serious about this, like you say you are, I think… I think, in time, we could.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but if he’s gonna be in the equation, no guns, and no creepy goons at his side, okay?”

“Okay… thank you, Ruby.”

Ruby tried her best to smile. "So, what are you guys doing on Friday?"

"Oh, you know that job thing I told you about?"

"Yeah?"

"We're going out to meet with the men that can help me get that job." 

"Oh. I hope it goes well then," she said, crossing her fingers. Beth did the same.

 

“And _Elizabeth_ , what’s that about?” Ruby asked, one eyebrow raised.

“He calls me Elizabeth.” Beth responded, shrugging her shoulders.

“What’s wrong with Beth?”

“Nothing. But people rarely use my full name. He does, I like it.”

“Alright, _Elizabeth_.” Ruby teased.

 

**…**

 

“Damn mama,” Rio whistled, admiring Beth as she walked into the bedroom, “And you just had that dress lying around?”

A breathy laugh escapes her, “Well, I never really get a chance to wear it, not that it’s that fancy, but still.”

She’d put on a dark emerald dress with long sleeves that hugged her tightly and made her blue eyes pop. She’d bought it before she had the kids, and when they came, whatever she wore would get covered in food, or paint, so she’d hung it at the back of her closet and it stayed there, until now.

****

Rio had picked a restaurant Beth hadn’t heard of, and the moment he’d left her alone, she’d googled it, wanting to be prepared. It wasn’t over the top, so she’d opted for something semi formal. They’d planned that afterwards, they’d spent a night or two over at Rio’s, so that Beth could get a break from housework.

****

“You’ve got your overnight bag yeah?”  

“Yes.”

“You could always just borrow my clothes,” he joked, “I can just imagine you walking around in nothing but a t shirt.”

“I’m sure you’d _love_ that, wouldn’t you?”

“You know I would.” He chuckled.

She watched as Rio fastened the buttons on the white shirt he’d just put on. As he reached the last button, she walked over to him, and stilled his fingers.

“Your collar...” She twisted the material the right direction and smoothed the large creases running down his abdomen. “Leave the top button undone, I like it like that.” She added. Normally, she’d never comment on his appearance, or make changes, but she was feeling brave tonight. She giggled at the thought, then bit her lip to stop herself.

Then their eyes met.  

****

Something about the way Beth looked at him in that moment made his breath catch in his throat. _She was adorable_.

But it wasn’t just that, she was so beautiful, and so much smarter than she let on, but best of all, she was tough as hell - there were so many things this woman did that made his insides melt, and he was falling for all of it.

****

Whatever it is he felt, Beth felt it too, like this raw energy pulsing between them, making the air thick. Only this time, it had nothing to do with tension, or anger. On some level, they both knew what it was, but neither of them were willing to say it before hearing it themselves.

“Rio...” It was barely a whisper.

“Yes?”

She ran her fingers over his cheek bones, and pushed up on her toes to reach his lips, kissing him gently.

She wouldn’t say it - god knows they both felt it, but she wouldn’t say it, not yet.

 

**…**

 

Although Mr Hadley and Mr Reed were serious businessmen, Beth could not help but smile everytime she saw them. Her and Rio had walked into the restaurant to find them already waiting at their table.

Completely ignoring the aura that had been set by the other tables, the two of them both leapt from their seats like over excited puppies at the sight of them.

After being swallowed up in hugs and all the niceties of small talk, they settled back down.

****

Beth sipped lightly at the bourbon Rio had ordered for her and looked at the two gentlemen, “So, why has Rio brought me here?”

****

“Ms Marks,” Mr Hadley began, “How much experience do you have with children?”

Beth had to suppress a laugh, “Um… quite a bit.”

She glanced over at Rio, silently asking, _can I tell them?_

His eyes were soft, his mouth turned up slightly, _yes_.

“I have four kids.”

“Really? You’ve never mentioned them before.” He said.

Beth dangled her glass between her fingers, swirling the amber liquid around in circles, “I like keeping my personal life away from any business I do.” She straightened in her seat, leaning her elbows on the table. She wondered if they had questions, because they certainly wouldn't have been Rio's kids, and she hadn't mentioned Dean. Though if they did, it was out of respect that they didn't ask.

“I see. It’s great that you have experience, we figured it would be a long shot, this campaign is rather specific.”

“Then I guess you’re in luck. The campaign, it’s aimed towards kids?”

“Well, it’s for parents, but it has to appeal to kids too,” Mr Reed explained, “We’re collaborating with this new startup company that specialises with children. Now William and I need someone who can help us reach our target market.”

“What age range are we talking about?”

“About two to ten, I think.”

Beth considered it, pursing her lips. “I can work with that.”

“And you’ll only have to come in once a week, for the next… how long is it William?” Mr Reed’s eyes narrowed in his partner’s direction.

“Six months, I believe. So you’ll do it?”

“Yes.” Beth agreed.

“Wonderful!” Mr Hadley’s smile was so wide all you could see were teeth. “When you come in we can discuss your salary.”

She nodded, "Okay."

****

Rio, who had been quiet the entire time, finally made some noise, “Alright, this is great. Let’s order some food now, I’m starving! We can discuss more afterwards.”

Beth laughed at him, “Okay, _hungry boy_.”

****

The three of them discussed a few more logistical details about the company and how they worked with other brands, and Rio watched in awe at Beth, as she absorbed everything and gave more information back. The way she talked, the way her face scrunched in concentration, all the little quirks that showed through without her realizing. Something was different tonight, he just couldn’t put his finger on it, but then, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. There was no doubt about it, he was falling, hard and fast.

 

**…**

 

Rio had been smiling the whole way up the elevator.

“You knew what that project was about, didn’t you?” Beth asked, a knowing look on her face.

“What makes you think that?”

“You’re never that quiet, especially not when it comes to business.”

“You’re too smart for your own good, I’ve told that already, haven’t I?”

“So you did know.” Beth poked him playfully. “You knew I’d like it.”

“Yeah I did.” The elevator came to a stop and Beth took his hand, leading him inside.

****

They came to a stand still in the living room, and Beth sat down on one of the sofas.

“You let me tell them about the kids, why?”

“I figured you’d have to, you know, having that kind of campaign.” Rio sat down next to her. “Besides, I’ve known them for a long time. They’re good men, and I can trust them with a certain amount of personal information.”

“It’s not going to be a problem?”

“No. They don’t know about my father’s… indiscretions.”

****

Rio lapsed into a state of reflection, he had his eyes focused on his feet. Beth could see that whatever he had on his mind, it wasn’t pleasant.

“You, you can talk to me if something’s bothering you, you know that, don’t you?” She said, wanting to reach out and touch him, but decided not to.

“It doesn’t bother me anymore Elizabeth. The man made his choices, as long I never have to deal with his messes ever  again, I couldn’t give a shit.”

“Okay, as long as you’re okay.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

****

Taking his reassurance, her eyes began wandering around the room, then landed on the Piano.

When Rio noticed her lingering, he nudged at her arm. “You wanna play?”

“Yeah,” Beth nodded, sliding of the couch.

****

She ran her fingers over the keys, thinking over what she wanted to play, most of the songs she’d learnt had been classic. She lowered herself onto the bench and began flicking at the keys experimentally.

****

C - E - G - C

****

_Okay_

****

G C E - G - C - E

****

_This sounded familiar_

****

After a few wrong notes were hit, Beth remembered the song, and the music began playing smoothly.

****

Bach’s Prelude in C.

****

Slowly Rio got up and swayed his way towards her. He placed a kiss on her head, and weaved his hands through hair.

“I used to play this song all the time.” Beth said.

He hummed in acknowledgement and watched as her fingers glided over the keys like magic. “You don’t have a piano at home, why? You’re too good not to.”

“When I was younger I had one, I kept it up until Kenny was born. Babies are expensive, and I never had much time to play anyways.”

“You sold it?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a shame.”

****

Rio stop playing with her hair and tucked it behind her ears. “Shift up a little.” He said, pushing on Beth’s lower back.

She moved forward, allowing him to slot in behind her, his chest pressing against her back, legs bracketing hers. The position gave her comfort, and spurred her on. So she changed songs, her fingers now moving to the notes of Andante Grazioso.

“Oh I like this one.” Rio said, his voice deep and husky.

“You know Mozart?”

“Vaguely.” His hands were resting on her legs, drawing slow circles on her inner thighs. “My talents lie in many places.”

He was completely serious, though Beth couldn’t help but laugh, “Yeah they do.”

****

Without warning, Rio grabbed a fistful of her dress in each hand and pulled it up, exposing the entire length of her leg.

Beth turned her head, her hands flying to his, “Wh-”

“No keep playing baby, it’s so beautiful.”

****

Hesitant, but curious, Beth uncurled her fingers from his and continued playing. Rio slipped his fingers into her panties and ran them over her folds, stopping at her entrance then going back to her clit. He repeated the motion, listening to her breath grow heavy.

When she felt wet enough, he pushed into her with two fingers, and she moaned, losing her rhythm on the keys.

Rio brought his lips to her ear, “You were doing so well, don’t stop,” then pressed his palm hard against her clit.

“I…I can’t think straight when you do that”

Rio only chuckled and placed another kiss against her temple.

****

He carried on with his ministrations, and Beth played as well as she could, whimpering and thrusting deeper onto his fingers

At some point, it no longer sounded Mozart, but rather an incoherent string of notes that could have resembled the song she had started with. With the intense sensations building in her core, she struggled to hold on, and finally gave up on trying to play, her one hand finding purchase on his knee, the other on his neck.

****

“Rio, Please...” She didn’t know what she was begging for, but she knew what he was giving her was too much and not enough all at the same time. She wanted to touch him properly too - and right before she felt like she was about to explode, he gave in.

“Okay.”

Not even a second passed and they’d separated, moved away from the bench. And then Beth’s latched onto him, so much hungrier than before.

She tugged his shirt from where it was tucked in his pants and pulled it over his head. Her hands travelled the planes of his smooth, toned body all the way to the bedroom. She pushed him onto the bed and kissed him fervently, threading her fingers through his.

****

Beth felt his lips curve into a smile beneath hers.

“What?” She asked, breathless.

“I love it when you take control, it’s cute.” He chuckled.

“Shut up.”

“It is,” he said, flipping them over, with Beth now on her back, “but, I wasn’t done.”

He found his way back to the juncture of her thighs and thrust into her once more, applying as much pressure as he could to her g spot. One, two, three more rough strokes and she shattered, melting into the mattress.

****

When Beth could move again, she opened her eyes, to find Rio watching her intently, his gaze dark, a smile still playing on his lips.

Feeling vindictive, she mustered all the strength she could and pushed at his chest until she was hovering over him again.

****

“And I love when you take control, but now I have something I need to finish _. I still wanna taste you...”_” She said, nipping at his bottom lip, before slowly trailing down his body, scattering kisses as she went. She settled down at his belt buckle and smirked up at him, watched his breath hitch as she began to unwrap him -  _this was going to be fun._

 

**...**

 

For once Beth woke up before Rio. She looked over at the alarm clock, concluding that the hour was reasonable, and slowly untangled from his embrace.

She padded around the room looking for her discarded dress, and smiled when she found Rio’s button up shirt in the hallway. His words came gushing back to her, and she filled with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Just to humor him - when he woke up - she pulled the shirt over her head and undid a few more buttons.

****

The escapes from reality were always wonderful, but she could never forgot her responsibilities. She rummaged through the handbag she’d dumped in the living room upon coming back last night and grabbed her phone. Beth wanted to make sure Annie’s babysitting skills had kept her babies (and her house) intact.

****

Though, when she switched on her phone, the name that popped up on her lockscreen made her heart stop.

****

_Mom_

_Missed call (4)_

****

Here’s the thing,

Beth could talk about her mother, have a conversation with other people about her, she’d learnt a long time ago to bury the emotions that came with her. But this, direct contact? After years without speaking to her - it made Beth uneasy. (She’d convinced herself to keep her mother’s number, and felt stupid for doing it. Maybe somewhere, deep, deep down, she was hoping it would happen, so that she could finally get the last word, finally say what she never had the courage to. Though of course, she’d never admit that to herself).

****

She didn’t know how long she stared at the screen, but when she finally put her phone away, not even considering to call back, she had blood red crescent moons imbedded in her palms, put there from clenching her fists too tight.

****

_No way is this woman going to make me feel bad, not now, especially if she isn’t physically here,_ Beth decided.

****

Soon Rio emerged from the bedroom and greeted her with a smirk, his eyes unable to leave her figure.

****

“Damn mama, I could eat you right now.”

Beth turned to find him in all his glory - tanned honey skin, half lidded eyes still tired from sleep and that deep delicious drag of his voice.

“I could say the same thing.” Beth laughed, making her way towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

He brought his lips to her ears, and bit down gently, “Did you wear this just for me?”

“Maybe.”

Rio pulled back, “It ain’t gonna be on you it for long darlin’.”

“As amazing as that sounds, I think we should get some breakfast first, don’t you?”

He looked her up and down, and Beth could tell exactly what he was thinking. “I meant actual food, _hungry boy._ ”

****

He chuckled and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her into the kitchen.

 

**…**

 

Rio dropped Beth off at home on Sunday afternoon, then went back to work for a while. He’d be back to visit her again later. Annie was still there though, one, because she was too lazy to leave just yet, and two, Sadie wanted to spend some more time with her cousins.

****

Beth was in the kitchen making dinner, and debating how much food to make, knowing that her sister would most likely still be there when they ate. Annie trudged to the island and sat down on one of the stools - she’d left to answer her phone. Beth stopped chopping vegetables and looked at her. Something wasn’t right.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

Annie winced, but stayed silent. “What is it Annie?”

“Mom called.”

“She called you now??”

“Yeah - wait... did she called you too?” Annie asked, surprised.

Beth sighed, “I had a few missed calls this morning.”

“So... you didn’t talk to her?”

“No.” She didn’t want to ask, she didn’t want to know. But she had to, for the sake of her sanity - or else she’d over think it and she really didn’t have the time or the energy. “What did she want?”

****

The fact that Annie didn’t answer right away only made her more anxious. “Oh my god! What did she want?”

“She wants to see us…well, you more but-”

“No.” Beth interrupted.

“No?”

“ _No._ ”

She had to fight to keep her emotions down, sure, Annie knew that there were problems with her mother, but she did not want to get angry about this.

“We haven’t seen her in so long, besides she really wants to see the kids. She hasn’t seen Sadie in like two years. It’s been even longer for you.” Annie reasoned calmly, seeing her sister’s frustration build.

“You can go see her with Sadie if you want.” She said, hoping it would be enough for her.

“And your kids?” Beth was staring at the knife she’d put down, her mind wandering to darker places. “ _Beth?_ ”

“I’ll ask the kids if they want to see her. Then you can take them along with Sadie, or Dean can take them.”

Beth had never stopped her mother from seeing her grandchildren, she’d at least allowed her that, but the visits were few and far between. When they did happen, it was with Dean, Beth could never stomach the idea of being around her mother and children at the same time, not after what had happened.

****

“And you?” Annie asked.

“I don’t want to see her.”

“When are you gonna tell me what happened between you two?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Beth said, closing her eyes.

“You know, it’s not like you’re never going to see her again. You will. One way or another, and it might be sooner than you think. And when you do, she’s going to have questions. She doesn’t know about the divorce. She doesn’t know about Rio. She knows nothing about your life.”

“And I want it to stay that way.” She responded, bitterly.

****

“I’m not going to push it, but you know I’m right. You can’t hide from her forever.”

****

It hurt that Annie was right. She couldn’t hide forever, but she was going to try for as long as she could - even though it would come back to bite her in the ass later.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the violent gang are human too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments!!  
> People, I edit these as I go. So I make a ton of mistakes and only when I post it do I see them - then maybe I fix them, I'm lazy, okay?  
> Anyway, enjoy :)

“So how was it?” Rio asked, putting his drink down, then sitting next to Beth. She picked up the tv remote from the coffee table and paused the movie they were watching.

“It was good.”

“How was the drive, you get there okay?”

“Big building, marked clearly. It was okay baby.”

 

She had gone to meet with Mr Hadley and Mr Reed for the first time that morning. They’d introduced her to a few other members of the company and the marketing representatives of  the kids corp they were working with. Everyone had been extremely welcoming and she’d received more than a few comments for looking so good after four kids (all flattery she assumed, but she accepted them nonetheless).

 

“It’s really not that hard.” Beth commented after a while. “It’s like regular advertising, just with a nauseating amount of bright colors and has music similar to, I don’t know, paw patrol or something.”

“Paw patrol? That thing Emma likes watching?”

“Yeah, it’s something like that.”

Rio laughed, “Okay.”

 

“So you think you can keep this up? Like are you gonna enjoy it?”  

“It’s early days, but everyone’s nice, and it’s better than sitting at home, even if it is only once a week.”

“Good.”

 

“What about you, how’s work?” Beth cuddled up against him, resting her head on his chest.

“It’s a pain in the ass, but I guess it always has been.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Getting to come home to you makes it all worth it.”

Her heart swelled at his words. “You miss me working for you?”

“I miss you, yeah. But you were dealing with some sketchy shit and I’m glad you’re out of it.”

“Are you?” She propped her head up. “Still dealing with sketchy shit, I mean.”

“I told you I’m done. Why you asking?”

He tensed up beneath her, muscles tight and uncomfortable. It was only for a brief moment, like a reflex, but Beth felt it and knew something wasn't right. She could feel the hostility in his voice too, however slight it was.

“You’re lying.” She said carefully, shifting.

Sometimes he forgot that now she can read him just as well as he can read her, and his jaw ticked. “Rio, talk to me. What’s going on?”

“It could be nothing, but someone’s been sneaking around the warehouses again. They might be connected to my father.”

“What makes you think that?”

“They’re...messy. They’ve got the same pattern as Eduardo. My guess is that my father’s sent someone to finish what his brother didn’t.”

“So what does this mean?”

Rio pushed at Beth’s shoulders until she was sitting up. “It means I need to be careful. You too.”

“Me?”

“If this is connected, then they might target you again, and you’ve gotta be able to hold your own.”

Beth had to swallow the lump forming in her throat. She knew the little physical strength she had wouldn’t help her much. “Then teach me.”

He chuckled, “You wanna kick ass?”

“Show me how to use a gun. I know the basics but I’m a terrible shot.”

Rio curled his lips in consideration, “Okay. I’ll take you to the shooting range at some point in the next few days.”

Beth lay back down, this time with her head in his lap. “ _The_ shooting range? You’ve never mentioned this.”

“I own one close to the warehouse. The boys go there when they want to train.” She knew Rio had money, and investments in five million companies but every time she heard about a new place it never ceased to amaze her.

“Oh. I see.” Beth yawned, tucking her arms under her stomach.

“You wanna go to bed baby?”

“No, I wanna watch the movie. Can you press play please?”

“Elizabeth you’re gonna fall asleep ten minutes in.”  His hand trailed up her back, gently stroking back and forth over her spine.

“S’okay.” She mumbled, “You make a good pillow.”

Rio smiled at that. _Well fuck him. How could he not love her?_

 

**…**

 

“Rio!” Emma ran to the door at the sound of it opening, giggling all the way.

“Hey angel.” Rio moved the grocery bag he had to one hand and knelt down for Emma to hug him.

She jumped excitedly onto his knee and he scooped her up, carrying her back through the house. He walked into the kitchen to find Beth and his mother cooking up a storm. “It smells real good in here ladies.”

“Thank you mijo.” Maria came around the island to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to the stove.

“Did you get the chillies?” Beth asked.

“Yeah,” he said, handing her the paper bag, “Don’t use too many hey, not everyone can handle the spice.”

Beth laughed, knowing he was talking about her, “That was one time, Rio, I _can_ handle spice, just not all of them. Besides, this is your mother’s recipe, I’m just following orders.”

Rio smirked in response.

 

Still clutching tightly at his shirt, Emma brought one small hand up to Rio’s neck and began tracing his tattoo. “Pretty bird...”

“Yeah it is baby.” He said softly, arching his neck so she could get a better look.

 

“Emma why don’t you go play with your sister?” Beth asked, not wanting her to annoy Rio.

When she stuck out her bottom lip in protest, he laughed. “Leave her Beth, she likes it.”

“Okay, but you’re gonna have to come help us soon. Annie and Ruby are gonna be here in...” She stopped stirring to look at the clock on the opposite wall, “Half an hour. Also, Francisco called, said he’d be a little late.”

 

Before Rio had told his team that he was in a relationship, he’d gone to his right hand man Francisco first. And just like the girls, he thought it was a joke, laughed his ass off - all the while Rio stood there, waiting, unimpressed.

 

_“Cisco, man, I’m not kidding.”_

_“Beth? Ain’t she married.”_

_“Nah, car man ain’t in the picture anymore.”_

_“Serious?”_

_“Serious. I like her, now wipe that stupid look of your face or I’ll break it.”_

 

He stopped laughing after that.

Rio could make threats like no one else (even though he knew he was just messing around) but this was his best friend, and figured he’d have to give Beth a chance.

 

That was a month or two ago.

 

Annie came bursting in a some time later, with Ruby on one arm, and a bottle of alcohol under the other. When Beth first invited them over they were a little nervous to be around Rio, she had to do a lot of convincing.

“We come bearing booz!” She announced, stepping through the doors.

“We’re in the kitchen!” Beth shouted back.

 

Annie took one look at the food laid out on the counter and dove straight for the bowl full of croquetas.

Her face scrunched in delight at the first bite. “Dude, who made these? I think I’m in love.”

“Maria did. And you weren’t supposed to touch anything until Francisco got here.”

“Oh boohoo he’ll live.” She said, gulping down the rest of it.

“Francisco? You mean Cisco? He’s coming?” Ruby asked, looking over at Beth.

“Yes, and he’s bringing someone, _be nice._ ”

Beth picked up the sangria bowl and carried it to the table outside, passing her worried best friend on the way. “No guns, and he’s not a goon, he’s a _friend_ , okay?” She whispered in her ear.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief, and Beth hoped she’d be okay.

 

Francisco arrived with his wife, Paula, bringing both a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine (he hadn’t been sure which to bring).

 

They all congregated outside for lunch because the weather had been amazing recently. The table was adorned with many spanish dishes Maria had taught Beth how to cook - and most delicious pisto she’d cooked all by herself, and was very proud of. The sangria had slightly more wine than what was necessary, but no one really complained.

 

Ruby did eventually get comfortable. She’d struck up a conversation with Maria, Beth didn’t catch all of it, though it was something about cooking (She looking for new recipes because Stan was a little heavy handed with spice). Annie had been chatting to Paula about her honeymoon, her and Francisco had gotten married less than a year ago.

 

It was startling to the girls how different these men seemed when they weren’t, you know, trying to scare the shit out of people. Even for Beth, she was seeing sides of Rio she hadn’t seen, even after all this time.

There was a moment, she’d gone back inside the refill the sangria bowl, and before coming out, she stopped at the door frame,

Rio was in the garden, showing Danny and Jane how to throw around a football (he also talked about how to tackle each other properly and make sure they hit the ground the first time, using wild hand gestures, but Beth found it funnier than it was serious, so she let it happen)

He looked so happy around them and they had accepted him, which was amazing. She’d been nervous, at first, not knowing how her babies would react to Rio, but it was moments like this that made her fall for him all over again, for completely different reasons.

Beth wished that she could freeze time, to remember that gorgeous image forever.

 

**…**

 

The sun had started setting. Francisco had left first, then Ruby. Annie had stayed to help clean up while Rio drove his mother home. He had offered to drop the kids off at Dean’s too.

 

“So what did you think?”

“Of what?” Annie was still munching on leftovers - there was more eating than tidying up really.

“Of Rio, his mother, Cisco, everything I guess.”

“The food was good, really I think you should invite her over more.”

“Not the food Annie.” She said seriously.

Annie sighed, “It was nice okay? He wasn’t super scary, his mother is the sweetest. I never thought I’d ever see Cisco like that. His wife is beautiful, I mean that dress wow… did you know they’re trying for a baby?”

“Yeah, Rio told me. So you’ve changed your mind a little?” Beth laughed softly.

“Yeah, a little.” She smiled.

 

The biggest thing for the girls, is that they realized (something Beth saw sooner than the rest) that these people they’d let into their lives, were human, just like them. They had families, their own set of stories and complex emotions.

 

Beth handed Annie a stack of clean plates to pack away when they heard a loud knock on the door.

“You expecting someone?” Annie asked.

“No.” She looked at the door, curious. Rio wouldn't be back so soon, Dean didn't live that close. 

“You want me to get it?”

“It’s okay, I will.”

Beth put down the things in her hands and made her way to the door.

 

When it opened, her heartbeat came to a stop.

 

Her stance was relaxed, arms crossed, with her tall frame, thinning brown hair, loosely curled, and salted with grey - and those eyes, those harsh green eyes that made every unpleasant emotion Beth had ever felt rush to the surface of her skin - sticky and uncomfortable as it swelled.

When she spoke, the words felt like the torturous drag of a knife across her skin:

 

“Hello, Elizabeth.”

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the monster returns...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is where I hit post and hide. I kinda feel like I've hyped up the tension surrounding Beth's mother too much. I don't know if I made her too mean or not mean enough. Dudes, please be nice, I tried okay?

Her hands were tingling and her throat was glued shut - there was a possibility she would faint. At least then she could wake up afterwards and this would be nothing but a dream. But it wasn’t.

When she opened her mouth, she didn’t find her voice easily.

****

“Mother… what are you doing here?”

“I did try and call.” Her arms uncurled and she stepped forward.

“And I didn’t answer.” Beth shrugged, cocking her head to the side.

“Please, can we just talk? I haven’t seen you in six years Elizabeth.”

_There was her full name again._

****

“Who is it?” Annie yelled from the kitchen.

****

“Is, is your sister here?” Her mother asked, peering past her into the house.

“Um, yeah.”

****

She winced, looking over her shoulder, then back at the frown on her mother’s face. Beth was so tempted to just shut the door on her - she wouldn’t even feel bad. Rio would be home soon anyway. And god she wanted him here. Not her mother. Her mean, treacherous mother. But of course Annie would ask about this, and she would undoubtedly receive a call from her to dig for the information Beth had denied her.

****

“ _Beth, who is it?_ ” She asked again, her voice shrill.

****

“One second Annie!”

****

“Please?” Her mother begged.

****

She shifted the weight from leg to the other. Letting her in meant disturbing the peace she’d worked so hard to create, but not letting her in meant she wouldn’t stop thinking about it, relive the pain from the night she decided to let this go.

“Fine, come in.”

****

Annie nearly choked on the watered down sangria she’d picked up within two seconds of Beth leaving.

Her mother came strolling in calmly, Beth trailing behind with her head hanging.

“Hello Annie.” She barely smiled as she said it, but she was never big on toothy grins.

“Hi ma.” She greeted, her eyes immediately darting to her sister. “What- what are you doing here?”

“Where you two having a girls night?”  _She was avoiding the question. Great._

“Um, no, not exactly, it was lunch thing with -”

Beth jerked her head in Annie’s direction, her eyes were as sharp as daggers. _Don’t finish that sentence._

“It was just a lunch ma,” she corrected herself, “Nothing special.”

****

“Did you know about this?” Beth hissed.

“No, I swear, I had no idea she was coming.” Annie said, shooting her hands up defensively.

The heavy silence that fell over them lasted a mere few seconds, but it was as thick as if it were building for years (and in a way, it had been).

****

“Look, you need to talk. I’ll, I, I’m just gonna go wait in the… no, you know what, I’ll just go.” Annie looked at Beth for reassurance that it was okay. Her sister nodded, and with that, she shuffled away quietly to the door, grabbing her bag on the way.

****

They relocated to the living room and her mother sat down. Beth refused to.

****

“Where’s the kids? It’s awfully quiet. Though of course, it must be quite nice for a change, isn’t it?”

She was trying to make small talk, or soften the blow to the reality of what was now resting on their shoulders. And Beth was having none of it, so she wasn’t sweet, she wasn’t polite when she responded:

“They’re with Dean.”

“Oh that’s nice. When will they be back?”

She realized, when she explained this, the disappointment on her mother’s end would creep back in. Her marriage had always been a sore spot.

“He’s dropping them off on Sunday. He has them for the week.”

“What do you mean?” She blinked, confused.

“Dean has the kids this week. I have them next week. We rotate.”

“What?”

“He’s moved out.” Beth explained.

****

She rolled her eyes at that, s _he actually had the audacity to do that_. Beth could already feel her face burning. Oh that switch had flipped alright, there were no more pleasantries from here.

****

“Elizabeth, having a rough patch with your husband doesn’t mean you need to throw him out.”

****

_“Ex husband.”_

****

Her mother’s face just sort of crumpled after that. She was shocked. But damn, out of all times she’s had to correct someone, this was definitely the most satisfying.

****

“I d-don’t understand.” She stammered.

“He wasn’t a good husband. I couldn’t do it anymore.”

“He was good enough.”

****

“Don’t you dare mother.” She hated how her voice broke as the words came out.

“Don’t what, Elizabeth?”

“Don’t do that!” She didn’t want to get this upset, but the comment made her break. “You don’t get to decide what kind of husband he was!”

“Well I’m sorry but if your marriage failed, but then you obviously didn’t try hard enough.”

****

She didn’t take the time to process how much that stung, retaliating instantly.

“You don’t get to decide how hard I tried! Not with my marriage, not with my emotions and especially not with my children!”

****

That last part wasn’t supposed to come out. Beth had never actually brought up the issue directly, she’d never made sure that her mother knew what she’d done, though, she never wanted to. Something hurts that much, you don’t really want to reopen it.

****

“What does this have to do with your kids?”

“Mother it’s always been about my kids!” She threw her hands up in the air, positive she’d never been so angry. “Why do you think I’ve avoided you all these years?”

God, she was actually heaving at this point.

“Well, I… ”

“That’s why you’re here right? Sick of the silent treatment?”

She straightened and cleared her throat, like she was trying to find a new way to approach this. “When you’re daughter doesn’t want to see you anymore, it hurts.”

****

Beth laughed at the madness uncoiling around her and within her - it was either that or strangling her mother, and seriously, nothing sounded better right about now.

“Oh, and you think turning into a cold hearted bitch after dad died didn’t hurt me, didn’t hurt Annie?”

****

She waved a hand in her direction, “I was grieving, you can’t blame me-”

“ _That_ was not grieving mother. _That_ was invalidating my heartbreak. _That_ was guilting me into making decisions I didn’t want to make.”

Beth was crying now, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Her mother was about to speak but she stopped her again,

“I told you I wasn’t strong enough for another baby, and what did you say? _Tough luck Elizabeth, you made your bed._ ”

It wasn’t even the worst part of her diatribe, but Beth didn’t want to say the words.

Her mother’s matter of fact tone and relative passivity came to a halt, as she jumped from her seat, making Beth stagger back.

“I was just looking out for you!”

****

Beth hated the mean streak in her voice when she said, “Oh, so when Annie called you from the hospital, telling you how bad it was, how much blood there was, how you should really get down there and support your daughter, was that looking out for me?”

****

“Elizabeth, you must try and understand.”

_If she used her full name one more time..._

She bit down hard on the side of her cheeks, “No, I don’t understand, and I never will. I, mother - I think you should go.”

“We’re not done.” She snapped

****

As she said it, the back door opened and closed.

“Hey girls, I’m back.”

****

_Well this was fucking fantastic_.

Her heartless mother was about to meet-

Oh god

This was happening, and there was no escaping -

she wasn’t scared for the clash, rather that she was right in the middle of it, because, as bitter as her mother was, she knew Rio was worse, his body raging with a temper that could flip so easily, that could burn through whatever it touched.

****

“Who’s car is in the driveway B-”

****

He walked into the room where they were -  Beth, hunched over at the end of the couch, head in hands, and this strange woman he’d never met. He then made the connection that it was her car taking up his space in the driveway.

Her mother gave him a once over, and the way she grimaced immediately set off alarm bells.

****

“Elizabeth?” His voice was soft.

The way he said her name felt so different to how her mother did.

****

She uncovered her face and looked at him helplessly. He saw now how red and puffy her eyes were. And suddenly he didn’t care about anything else. He rushed over to her, cupping her cheeks in his palms.

“Baby, what’s wrong, why are you crying?” He wiped away the tears with his thumbs and looked up at the pair of eyes that had not left him since entering. “Is this-” He watched her features more carefully. To someone in passing they could have been strangers, but the resemblance was there, however slight.

“Is this your mother?”

Beth nodded weakly, trying to speak, but all that came was a whimper.

****

“Who are you?” Her mother finally spoke, voice dripping with judgement.

He took a deep breath and let go of Beth’s face, but slid his hand down her back and kept it there, “My name Rio, Mrs Marks...”

He held back whatever charm he would have used, knowing that she’d been the one to make Beth upset - quite frankly, her happiness was more important than trying to seem nice. Besides, something told him that if he’d given his hand, she would not have taken it.

Her eyes were lingering, and she was not impressed. Given the intimacy of what she’d just seen, she undoubtedly knew the role he had in her life.

Beth knew exactly what her mother was thinking, just from the unsavory curve of her lips. “Jesus, can you not look at him like that?”

“Really Beth, a neck tattoo?” She raised her eyebrow at her.

Later on, it would make Beth laugh, because the tattoos were the most innocent thing about him, and this woman had no idea.

****

But right now, it made both of them angry, though only Beth’s side of it showed. Rio remained stoic, the only sign of his irritation was the slight twitch of his fingers, the burning heat from his gaze.

“I’m serious, I want you to leave.”

****

Her mother stepped closer in one last feeble attempt at the conversation, reaching out to touch her, and she involuntarily went back too.

“Mother please.”

****

It pained Rio to hear how raw and broken Beth sounded when she spoke, how someone could have such a profound effect on her. He’d never seen her like this.

“Mrs Marks, I think it would be best if you listened to your daughter.” He was calm, but stern, and Beth knew that tone all too well. If you didn’t cooperate now, you’d regret it.

****

When her mother didn’t move (because why would she listen to a stranger?) Rio took one step and took a hold of her elbow.

“Mrs Marks, if you don’t go, I’m going to take you to your car you myself.”

****

She needed no more convincing, having been made uncomfortable by Rio’s intervention. She pulled herself loose from his hand, and not without another disgusted look, slowly turned on her heels and left.

At the sound of the door clicking, Beth let out the breath she wasn’t aware she was holding.

Her eyes never left the door, even long after it had closed. Rio let it happen, let her process what she needed to process.

****

“Elizabeth.” He said calmly.

****

The slow rumble of his voice hit her instantly, and she turned her head in his direction. Before she knew it, a desperate sob left her throat and the tears started falling again. Rio closed the space between them and tightly wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in giant gulps air to stop the fervent pounding in her head.

****

“It’s okay baby, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

****

He repeated the words softly into her hair, over and over, like an absolution. She never wanted him stop, never wanted him to let go.

 

**…**

 

When Rio stepped out of the shower he saw that one of the bedside lamps were on. It was the early hours of the morning and sleep was becoming an impossible feat, so he’d taken a shower, hoping it would help.  Beth had fallen asleep almost immediately upon hitting those soft sheets, but she had been drained, he would’ve been surprised if she hadn’t.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped through the bathroom door to find Beth sprawled out across the bed.

“You’re on my side.” He teased, seeing she was awake now too.

“I know,” She mumbled, “But you got up and your side is warm.”

He crawled onto the bed, sitting next to her. “Your side is warm as well.”

Beth turned her head so she could look at him. “Hmm, but it smells like you, I like it.”

“It’s only 4am, why don’t you go back to sleep?”

She rolled over so that she was lying on her back. “Well, now that we’re both awake, I don’t know if I can.”

****

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Beth groaned. Not because he asked, she was expecting that, rather at the memory of the past few hours.

“It’s stupid.” She sighed.

“What is?”

“The reason I’m angry at her.”

“Just start from the beginning baby, make me understand.”

****

“I guess it starts with my dad. My mother had never been particularly affectionate, or happy, if I’m honest, but she loved him. And look, you can’t judge people for how they deal with that kind of loss, but when he died, she entered a whole new level of cruelty.”

For a second Rio reflected back to his dad’s disappearance, he could have dealt with it better. He wasn’t dead, but the motions were all the same.

 

“It carried on for years, on and off. Our problems were no longer problems until she deemed them to be.

 _“Oh Elizabeth grow up.”_ She used to say.” Beth laughed bitterly at the memory.

“Annie always had a way of being careful, I guess because she was younger, our mother had more sympathy. With me though, I could never tell what would set her off.”

****

Rio’s lips curled and his eyes narrowed. That wasn’t it, and he knew. “What made you so upset last night?”.

“The tipping point, was after I got pregnant with Emma.”

 

Beth could so clearly remember the night she came, lying in a hospital bed, off her head on medication. The nausea had checked in every hour or so, and at that point she'd lost everything she'd tried to stomach. The headaches had been there permanently, pounding violently and without rest, and her legs - she couldn't even fucking feel them.

 

“What happened?”

“None of my pregnancies had been particularly fun. The first three babies were not easy to carry, and a nightmare to deliver - my doctors told me a fourth baby would not be a good idea.” Beth pulled herself up against the headrest, taking a deep breath. “When I found out about Emma, I told her first. And obviously the joy was short lived when I added that I didn’t want to keep her.”

****

Her mind flashed back to where she’d stood, tightly backed up against the counter, her trembling fingers curled tightly around the cool edge of the surface behind her. Her mother’s monologue had been so caustic and violent in it’s intent that she was too scared to move, or fight back, she couldn’t even look her in the eye.

****

_“If you want to fuck like a whore, you have to deal with the consequences Elizabeth. Kill that child, I dare you. You’ll be a god awful mother to the rest of them if you do.”_

****

“And that’s how she guilted me into it. Don’t get me wrong, the idea of abortion was a nauseating thought, and I love Emma more than anything… but I needed someone to make me feel better, point me in the right direction, you know?”

“I know.”

“When the day actually came, I thought I was going to die, they told me I was pretty close to it too. With all the drugs they’d pumped into my system, and the blood, god, there was so much blood-”

“Elizabeth, stop, it’s okay. It’s okay. You don’t have to continue.”

****

Rio quickly grabbed her shaky hand and brought her it to his mouth. She was only pushing herself deeper into something she didn’t want to feel again. He kissed her palm over and over.

She sighed heavily, “I wanted you to know.”

“And now I do. But don’t do this to yourself, please, she’s gone now.” The kisses traveled up her arm and stopped at her shoulder. He lifted his head to look at her. What they shared now, was more than an understanding for each other, and trials that had tested them. He brought his hands to face, palming her rosy cheeks. In that light, her eyes were almost as dark as his, it felt like another reminder of how alike they were.

****

“Elizabeth.” His voice was hoarse, barely audible.

“Yes?”

The moment might not have been perfect, but then, it didn’t have to be.

“You know I love you, right?”

****

Beth’s heart hammered wildly against her ribs at the sound of his words. He’d said it, and she wasn’t expecting it, wasn’t expecting the effect it had on her. Without thinking about it, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him slowly, softly - with no intention of doing anything else.

“I love you so much.” His lips were so warm against hers, it was almost overwhelming. She didn’t deserve him, she didn’t think she ever would.

****

“I love you too Rio.”

****

There was nothing gentle about the way he kissed her then, crushing her mouth painfully with his. He pulled her lower onto the bed until she was resting below him. He rid her of the clothing that separated them and moved down her body.

****

His hot mouth mapped the contours of her porcelain skin, starting at her calves. He painted her thighs with deep red rings, ran his tongue all along her belly, dipping into her navel, and biting at the sensitive flesh of her breasts.

“You’re mine.”

His voice came out in a low, primal growl, and it felt as sweet and torturous as the slow, sticky slide of honey dripping down her body. She couldn’t help how it mashed up her insides. He wasn’t asking her, he was telling her - and he didn’t need an answer, but she gave him one anyway. An affirmation, a reassurance -

“I’m yours.”

\- permission to do whatever he wanted.

****

There was a dangerous glint in his eye when he pinned her wrists down on either side of her head, holding onto them with no give, and Beth exulted in it. He wasn’t gentle when he took her, thrusting into her deeply, and latching onto her neck with abandon.

It didn’t take long for her to reach her climax and when she did, she told him to slow down, so she could finish with him. Though of course he didn’t listen.

_“You can take it, baby, I know you can.”_

****

He made her come hard, only slowing down for the merest second to watch the beauty of it, the way she moaned, arching her back because it felt so good.

Then he was going again, pumping in and out of her relentlessly. It was rough, hot and hungry - the way he moved without mercy, tightening the grip around her wrists, kissing her until she couldn’t breath..

****

He made her come over and over until she’d lost count, until she was begging for him to stop, to let her touch him.

Eventually he released her wrists and her fingers immediately wrapped around his shoulders, feeling the way his muscles flexed beneath his skin.

“Rio, I don’t think I can-”

He brought his lips to hers and kept them there, “You can. Tell me again.”

With her brain having gone to mush, she didn’t understand at first, all she knew was another orgasm was about to slam into her, and she wasn’t sure she could handle it anymore.

“What?”

“Tell. Me. Again.” Rio punctuated each word with a thrust.

She whined, the pleasure becoming borderline painful. “Tell you that I love you? Is that what you wanna hear?”

“Tell me.” He nodded vigorously and she understood.

“I love you… I love you so much.”

****

_“Tell me again.”_

_“I love you.”_

_“Don’t stop.”_

_“I love you.”_

****

He rewarded her with the sharp jut of his hips each time she said it and eventually they both exploded, the force of it making them collapse into each other’s sweaty, sated bodies. It was a difficult high to come down from because it wasn’t just the sex, but the attachment that came with it.

****

“Was that enough?” She asked, breathless.

“Baby, it’ll never be enough.” He laughed. He laughed and she melted all over again. He was right, it would never be enough.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zero editing happened my friends, enjoys the mistakes ;)  
> also, thank you for all the comments and kudos! you guys feed my soul
> 
> … and the new promos, anyone else freaking out? I feel like they're just baitng us but I'm excited either way

Beth was determined not to let the pressure of his hands on her hips distract her. She took a deep breath and realigned her arm with the target a few feet away.

“You know, darlin’” Rio’s breath was hot against her ear, “If you miss the head it doesn’t count.”

Beth rolled her shoulders and moved her arm up an inch. “If I shoot them in the heart they still die.”

His breathy laugh creeped down her neck and made her blush. She slipped her finger over the trigger and counted down-

_Three, two, one,_

_Bang!_

The rubber dummy ate the bullet and in a second a lesion appeared where the hole should have been.

“Damn it.” She said under her breath. The bullet went through the neck.

“Try again.”

“They still die though, how does that not count?”

Rio could detect the annoyance in her voice and laughed. “That’s not the point, you could have hit the padding on the wall.  I’m trying to train your aim here. If you can’t hit where I ask you to hit, we’ve gotta go again.”

He’d been bringing her to the range for a few weeks now and she was learning faster than he thought she would. Even before they’d started, she’d known about the safety and how to reload the magazine. Admittedly, he was probably bringing her here more than what was necessary but he wanted her to be prepared for anything (and seeing her with his gun, deep in concentration, was one of the coolest things he’d ever seen).

Beth reached behind her picked the next few rounds of ammunition from Rio’s pocket and reloaded the gun. It was his big eagle gun. The one he’d given her all those months ago. When he first handed it to her, a shiver ran up her arm, it was unsettling. The memory of that night was something she’d buried a long time ago. He’d sensed this and reassured her, softly squeezing her hands.

****

“Well it would help if you didn’t keep your hands on my waist, distracting me like that.”

He only pressed his fingers harder into the material of her skinny jeans. “I’m only making sure your stance is correct.”

Beth snorted. “There’s other ways to do that.”

”Come on Beth, if you get this one right, I’ll reward you.”

Her breath caught in her throat at the possibility of what could happen. Rio was always tricky when it came to words. She resumed her position and pointed at the dummy once more.

_Three, two, one_

_Bang!_

Right in the middle of its head. She tried to hide the smug curve of her lips as she lowered the gun. _Well that was easier than she thought it was going to be._ She twirled around to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“How was that?”

“Not bad. You’re doing well, you can probably get your own soon.”

Beth eyes went wide. “My own gun?”

“Yeah mama. Why are you so surprised?”

She shook her head and pulled away. “No it’s fine, just not used to the idea. That’s all.”

Rio took the gun from her and buried it in his back pocket. “But only once you’re one hundred percent sure you know how to use this thing. It’s powerful.”

Beth rolled her eyes as she pulled her safety muffs off. He’d given her this speech about ten times already. Guns are dangerous, she knew this. (She also felt like mentioning that he’d once given her the gun without knowing that she wouldn’t accidentally shoot her own foot, but chose not to.)

“Yes sir.” She responded.

Then he smirked at her, something dark and carnal in his gaze. “Sir?”

“It was a joke Rio.”

“I mean, if you’re into that sort of thing...”

“Oh shut up.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him to the door. “Can we go get some food now? I’m hungry.”

Rio laughed, closing the door behind them.

 

**…**

 

Rio’s phone buzzed in the centre console of the car. Beth picked it up and glanced over at him for permission to answer.

“It’s Francisco.”

Rio nodded.

“Hi Cisco, it’s Beth. Rio’s driving, he can’t answer.”

“You sure he can’t?” He sighed in frustration. This didn’t sound good.

Beth put the phone on speaker and held it out to Rio.

“Hey man, what’s going on?”

“Rio, you gotta get down to the warehouse. Some shit’s gone down.”

****

He agreed to meet him in five and made her hang up. It made her nervous. Rio was persistent, the fact that he didn’t ask more questions either meant he knew what was happening, or couldn’t talk about it in front of her.

Beth had to hold onto the sides of her seat with the force at which he turned the car around. His face was unreadable, and that alone made her scared. Unreadable was unpredictable, and that’s what made it dangerous.

They stopped in front of  the warehouse doors, Cisco was already waiting. Rio punched at the side of the steering wheel and groaned.

“Wait in the car Elizabeth.” He said, opening his door.

****

They were only gone for about ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity. In between fiddling with the car keys and adjusting her seat out of boredom, Beth contemplated getting out to investigate but decided not to test her luck with Rio. So she scanned what she could through the windows. Nothing looked off, no strange cars, no knocked in-

Wait. Beth finally saw that a few of the windows were smashed. It wasn’t that obvious unless you really looked, but she had a feeling that had something to do with it.

****

When he did eventually come back, he was tense, almost angry, but not quite. He took the keys that were lying in Beth’s lap and started the car.

“Is everything okay?” She asked, hesitant.

“Someone got into the warehouse.”

“Yeah, I saw the windows were broken… You know who it was?” He stayed silent, staring through the windshield. “Rio?”

“Elizabeth, please, I don’t want to talk about this now.” He tried to be gentle, but it didn’t come out that way. If he brought it up, he’d get too worked up and he was having a pretty good day and up until then.

Rio always had a smooth veneer that never wavered, but if he was trying to make it look like this, whatever happened didn’t piss him off, it wasn’t working. He didn’t speak for the rest of the way home. It occurred to Beth then that they had to stop doing this, stop pushing the issue down until someone snaps. They’d both done it with Eduardo, she’d done it with her mother, and now he was doing it with this too, whatever it was.

****

Rio didn’t talk, didn’t move from his seat, and it worried Beth.

“Aren’t you going to come in?”

He cleared his throat, “No, I’m gonna go out for a bit. I won’t be long.”

She didn’t need to ask, she already knew what this was going to look like.

“Rio,” She said softly, taking his hand, “Don’t do it. It’s not gonna help either of us.”

“Don’t do what?”

“Don’t come home drunk, especially if you’re going to drive.” She almost regretted saying it when she saw how his face changed.

“I’m…  Elizabeth, go inside.” His clipped tone startled her. The way her name came out when he was angry, was cold.

So she didn’t try again. If he was going to be distant, if he wasn’t going to tell her what was going on, she wasn’t going to fight with him in the car. He was angry, fine, but she wasn’t going to take this again. So she got out slamming the door, and made her way to the front door. Rio didn’t wait before speeding off, and Beth watched him. As much as she was cursing him in her head,

_Rio, you’re a fucking idiot_

there was a silent prayer there too,

_But I need you to be okay_

****

She knew he wouldn’t be back soon, so to take the edge off the burning in her belly, she knocked back half a bourbon. But that wasn’t a good idea. If both of them got fucked then it wouldn’t end well. Knowing Beth, she’d probably yell at him, say something she’d regret. And no doubt, Rio would do the same.

Right, okay. She wasn’t going to dump this on her girls. Ruby was having a family night, and Annie had taken Sadie out. Dean had her babies so she couldn’t spend anytime with them - technically she could have gone to fetch them, but that would mean facing Dean, and just no. No. He needed to spend time with them anyways, mostly he left them with a babysitter and it annoyed Beth to her core.

For a moment she was stuck on what to do with herself, then she thought about Maria. It was a thursday afternoon, and she wouldn’t be busy, would she? Feeling brave, she finished her bourbon, and headed to her car. She’d been over enough times with Rio that she was confident she could get there without him driving.

On the way there, one of Rio’s CD’s was playing and it made her laugh, but not without a slight twinge of sadness in her gut. She hated when they were on a bumpy road. She hated that she acted irrationally sometimes, that he had a short fuse.

****

Maria was cooking. Beth could tell because the moment she stepped onto the porch she could already smell the food from the kitchen. She knocked loudly and waited. Maria opened the door about a minute later, and greeted Beth with an insane about of hugs. Her dark curls were pinned back and the apron she was wearing was painted with a bright red spice, paprika, Beth thought.

“Oh I forgot, my clothes!” Maria said, pulling away finally, “I hope it didn’t stain your shirt.”

Beth smiled, “It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re cooking aren’t you? What’s on the menu?”

She matched her grin, raising an eyebrow playfully. “Come inside and find out.”

****

Maria handed Beth a fresh glass of orange juice she’d squeezed that morning and asked her to sit by the island at the entrance of the kitchen while she finished up.

“Do you like pesto?”

Beth hadn’t really been paying attention, with her mind running circles around what had happened earlier. So when she Maria asked, she was slightly taken aback.

“I’m sorry?”

“Pesto, do you eat it? I’m putting it in the pasta.” She brought a spoonful of the mixture to Beth for her to taste. “You must stay for dinner.”

“I like pesto, yes. This is really good. Are, are there sun dried tomatoes in here too?” She licked her lips, still chasing the taste of what she’d just tried.

“Ah, you could tell. Your senses are sharp Beth. Rio can never tell.”

“Well, Rio doesn’t do much cooking.” She laughed.

“No he doesn’t.” Maria moved back to the stove and removed the pot of pasta. “Speaking of, why did my son not accompany you on this delightful visit?”

****

Beth sighed. _Okay, here we go._ “He’s, well, he’s gone out.”

“Oh, he has?” She could feel the uncertainty in Beth’s voice, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know how much you know, or how much I’m allowed to ask, but Rio said that something’s going on at work and-”

“The break in at the warehouse.” It was clearly stated, not a question.

The wild train of thoughts in her head came to a halt. “Y- you know about that?”

“I know about everything, my dear.” Maria pulled a stool out next to Beth, knowing that there would be a lot of questions about to come her way.

“By everything, you mean?”

She smiled, and took Beth’s hand. “Let me start from the beginning.”

****

Rio had obviously given her some detail after Eduardo came after her, but he didn’t go too deep. Of course, he’d forgotten that Maria knew her husband better than anyone else.

“When that vile brother in law, god forgive me, but I cannot call him anything else, when he came back, I knew my husband was behind it. I know he’s still scheming or whatever it is he does now. Sending people to do his dirty work for him.” That last part was said with an eye roll. “He’s trying to find a way back into the business without Rio finding out, which is idiotic if you ask me, my son owns the company, he’d know.”

 _Well fuck me_ , Beth thought. She really did know everything.

“How did you know about the break in this morning?”

“Francisco called me earlier today, said Rio wasn’t answering his phone. He trusts me, plus he doesn’t know what Rio tells me. So I asked what happened... Rio’s been so caught up in work recently and I wanted to know.”

“Well if he has been, he hasn’t told me anything.” Beth sighed.

“You must talk to him, set him straight. Sometimes he forgets how important communication is.” Her expression was completely sincere and it was comforting.

“Thank you, Maria.”

“Good. Now let’s eat, I hope you’re hungry.”

Beth was glad. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

****

She helped Maria dish up for the two of them and they switched out the orange juice for wine. She’d assured Beth that everything would be okay, and they moved on to other conversations. They spoke Maria’s gardening routine (Beth was thinking about planting roses) and about Beth’s new business venture, how because she was good with kids, it wasn’t a terribly difficult job.

****

After too many stories and too many glasses of wine   _oh god, and she’d told Rio not to get drunk_ , (though this wasn’t _drunk_ , and she would have to remind herself that) Beth looked at the time and realised how late it was. She thanked Maria for the amazing dinner and of course the woman couldn’t let her leave without taking some home again.

She gave Beth a long hug and sent her off, waving from her porch as her car pulled out of her driveway.

****

When she got back, she dumped her handbag and coat on the kitchen island and put the leftovers in the fridge. It was dark, she couldn’t really see what she was doing.

“Where the fuck have you been?”

Beth nearly jumped at his presence. She turned around and found him leaning against the counter.

“Don’t do that! You scared me.”

His eyes narrowed to slits as he ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “Answer me, Elizabeth.”

She stepped towards, and jutted out her chin. “I was _out_.”

The irony was not lost on him, yet he was still unimpressed. “I’ve been waiting for you. It’s quarter to one in the morning, where were you?”

“I should ask you the same.” She shot back.

“Elizabeth, I’m tired, I’m not in the mood to play games.”

“Neither am I.”

Rio ran his hands through his hair and sighed, “How much have you had to drink?”

“Wh- I, I’m,” She closed her eyes, trying to find the words, “I’m not drunk, Rio.”

“But you did drink?”

She frowned, “Oh, like you didn’t drink.”

“I didn’t.”

“What?”

“You told me you didn’t want me coming home fucked, so I didn’t.”

Beth didn’t have a response, feeling kind of unsettled. He actually listened to her, he didn’t drink anything, just because she asked. _God, she felt awful_ …

but no, wait, she didn’t have to feel bad, because she had a reason to be mad at him.

“You didn’t want to talk to me about it.”

“What?”

“I don’t understand what made it so difficult. I get you were angry that your father’s gotten other people to do his dirty work, that he’s trying to take the business back, but jesus, could you not have told me that, would it have killed you?!”

Rio was off the counter in seconds. “How do you know that?”

Beth’s fists clenched at her sides as she stood her ground.

****

“Elizabeth, _how do you know that?_ ”

She wondered for a moment how he’d react, because she’d never gone alone before.

“I, I went to go see Maria.”

“You went to my mother?” His eyebrows shot up, like she expected.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Beth nearly laughed, not knowing what to do with this infuriating feeling, “Because you didn’t want to fucking tell me anything!”

“How does my mother know?” Rio’s voice rose with each word, and Beth didn’t appreciate being spoken to like this was her fault.

“I don’t know but that’s not the point! When we said no more secrets, I thought that was it.”

“And that _was_ it.”

“Clearly not. You know what? You’re right, it’s late, I don’t have the energy for this.” And with that she brushed past him, heading to the bedroom.

“Elizabeth! We’re not done!”

****

_Fuck it,_ she was tired too. She was pacing around the room, fiddling with the buttons on her shirt, desperately trying to get it off. It was suddenly too hot to function, or think. The burning she’d felt earlier was crawling back up her spine, crashing in the pit of her stomach again, making her head spin.

Getting out of her jeans seemed to be an even harder task and when she finally tugged them off, she stumbled back into the dresser with the force of it.

Beth hissed at the sharp corner digging into her thigh. She pushed herself back up onto her feet and that’s when Rio appeared at the door frame.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing. Get out.”

Defiedly, he entered, each step he takes making her back away. Then she threw the pair of jeans she had been clutching at him. The ball of clothing hit his chest and dropped to the floor.

“Was I supposed to feel that?” The slight amusement in his voice only vexed her more.

“Get out!”

“No.” Rio took one large stride to get to her and grabbed her wrists. “You love doing that. Throwing things around.”

“Let me go!”

“No.”

She whined, pulling hard against him, but he wouldn’t budge. “I just want you to talk to me, is that so hard?”

“I was gonna tell you, okay?” She only stared at him, lips curled between her teeth, chest heaving. “But I needed to cool off first.”

No response.

“ _Okay?_ ”

Still no response.

 

"Where did you go?"

"For a drive, I was back here in an hour... I’m not gonna let go until you say it."

Beth looked away, then back at him, sighing. The words were not an easy feat. “Okay.”

Slowly he loosened his grip, rubbing his thumbs over the mark he’d left on her skin. The fire between them now had simmered down to hot coals, still tangible, but bearable.

****

His eyes roamed her body, black lace bra and all. Then his gaze landed on her thigh.

“You’ve got to be more careful.”

He ran his palms over her leg and pressed against the bruise quickly forming on her skin. She winced at the dull pain throbbing in one place and he dropped to his knees, leaving a warm kiss over the blue purple mark.

“Rio...”

He looked up, her blue eyes dilated, dark. Wordlessly he turned her so that she was facing him, and pulled her panties down.

“I swear Elizabeth, you drive me insane.” He whispered, before he placing an open mouth kiss over her clit. She gasped at the intrusion, her hands flying to grip the back of his head.

Beth ended up being pushed against the nearest wall, Rio latched onto her core. He worked her thoroughly, his tongue matching the rhythm of her hips. The desperate gasps of need and pleasure that fell from her lips spurred him on, determined to drag her over the finish line. Then he pushed his fingers inside her and her whole world exploded, white hot bliss erupting in her belly.

****

Then his mouth was on hers, hard and unrelenting. He grabbed her ass and Beth jumped, wrapping herself around him as he carried her to the bed. There she could watch in awe, the utter perfection of him getting undressed for her.

His skin was slick, glistening in the light the lampshade gave off. She wanted to taste him, wanted to make him writhe beneath her, lose control under her touch. So when they were both bare, she leapt up, lapping at his neck.

“You enjoying yourself mama?”

Beth hummed, her senses clogging with his cologne and sweat. “I’m in love with your body.”

He laughed, “That it?”

“Well, I love you too, but fuck, you taste like heaven.”

He was ready to press her down against the mattress when she stopped him. Grabbing his arms, she flipped them around and straddled his lap.

When she opened herself up and sank down onto him, she waited, enjoying the feeling of being filled. Rio rolled his head back in agonizing pleasure, then grunted, “Don’t be mean Elizabeth, move.”

A wicked smile emerged on her lips as she brought them to his ear and bit down, “Make me.”

“You sure about that?” His dug his fingers dug into her waist, thrusting upward harshly.

****

Beth moaned, feeling satisfied with the way she’d made him twitch with anticipation. Then she circled her hips and began moving, deep, slow thrusts, like she had all the time in the world. Rio sought out her lips once more and they kissed passionately, messily, while they made love. Beth held onto him tightly and didn’t let go until they were both seeing stars.

****

A little while later, Rio was lying with his head on Beth’s stomach.

“So, you really don’t know why my mother knows?” He wasn’t expecting an answer, thinking she’d be drifting to sleep, but still hoped she would.

“No,” Came her sweet, dreamy voice, “I really don’t.” She was reminded then of what Maria had told her. She had to talk to him. Communicate. And at the same time, he had to talk to his mother. “You should go see her.”

“I know.” Rio pulled himself closer into her embrace. “ I’ll go tomorrow, we'll talk about it then. We should go to sleep now.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio's all about Beth's safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I feel about this chapter, but yeah, anyways, hope you like it.  
> Again, thank you for the comments, you guys are amazing:)

 

The metal felt smooth and cold in her hands. She looked at all the details incrusted in the surface with fascination.

She wasn’t entirely sure it was necessary, but when Rio had gotten an idea in his head, there was no talking him out of it. Not that she was complaining really.

A glock 42. Gold like his desert eagle, but smaller.

It was beautiful, and the fact that she was attracted to something so dangerous stirred something wicked inside her. Though of course, it wasn’t the first time. Rio was more lethal than any weapon you could give her.

The break ins at the warehouse had become more frequent. It was still incredibly strange, because each time the scene became messier, but nothing was taken. This was frustrating for everyone. Rio was spending so much more time at work, and Beth barely saw him. It had been like this for weeks.

He’d spoken to Maria, and afterwards had a serious talk with his guys about sharing information. It wasn’t that he minded. It was good for his mother to know what his father was doing, but he’d want to be the one to tell her.

 

After the fourth time it happened, Beth had seen an unfamiliar car patrolling her street. After the fifth time, Rio had come home and told beth that they would be getting her a gun that week.

 

“You have to take it with you everywhere.” Rio said.

“And you think something like this will go unnoticed?”

“Use one of those massive handbags. You’re hoarding like fifty of them in your closet.” He laughed.

“This isn’t funny.”

“Fine. But you absolutely have to take it with you when you’re alone, or picking up the kids. No discussions.” He wasn’t exactly panicking yet. He rarely ever did. Anything that needed handling, he could handle, but he wasn’t taking chances here. Sure, he joked about it, but he was going to make damn sure his woman was safe. The fact that someone was watching her only made him more angry.

Beth’s back hit the passenger seat with a silent thud. “Okay.”

 

“Seat belt please.” Rio said, changing the subject.

“Why can’t I drive? I thought we were gonna switch.”

“It’s my car.”

Beth leaned over and jabbed at his arm. “You drive my car all the time.”

Beth would argue with him all the time about this, it was friendly arguing, but it still annoyed her. He was _always_ in the driver’s seat. As of late, he’d be picking up the kids, and as odd as it was, Beth actually missed seeing their excited faces as they ran to the car.

Plus, Rio owned more than one car, cadillacs, porsches, all these glamorous rides, like come on? Who wouldn’t want to drive them? She was constantly begging to, and he hadn’t caved yet- until this morning.

“Don’t sulk red,” he placed a quick kiss on her cheek twisted the key in the ignition, “On the way back. Is that better?”

She responded with side eye, but smiled very quickly afterwards.

  


**…**

  


“I’m sorry, when did you get a damn gun?” Ruby stared at the thing like she’d never seen one before.

Beth had just dropped her babies off at a sleepover and when she got home she dumped her hand bag on the dining room table. The gun had simply slipped out, it’s shiny barrel peaking through the straps. She hadn’t even noticed until the girls came over for the usual Bachelorette binge.

“Yeah,” Annie butted in, “That’s so unfair! Why don’t we get any?”

“Bitch, I do not want a gun in my house!” She shot back.

“You know Stan probably keeps one in your bedside drawer?”

Ruby opened her mouth to say something mean in return, but was stopped.

“Guys, it’s not a toy.” Beth said, “It’s for safety reasons.”

“Rio knows about this?”

“He’s the one that got in for me.”

“Awesome.” Annie’s eyes lit up, which worried Ruby a little. “Can gang friend hook us up too?”

“I don’t think you need one,” she laughed, “But you can ask him.”

Ruby looked unhappy with this information. “Why do you need one, what’s going on Beth?”

“We’re gonna miss the show guys, can we move this party to the den?”

Ruby held her hand up in protest. “It’s probably a rerun anyway. Beth, _why do you need a gun_?”

 

This wasn’t something she ever wanted to tell them, or ever thought she’d need to. She didn’t need more drama in her life, and she had tried her hardest not to let what had happened affect her. However, they did deserve to know the truth.

So Beth told them about a corrupt business partner that worked with Rio’s father. Told them what he’d done to her and how it happened. It was only basic facts though. They didn’t need to know that Eduardo was dead, and much less that Rio was the reason. Then she moved on the warehouse break ins all the sticky mess that came with it.

When she was done, they looked at her with worried faces.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ruby’s voice was soft.

“I didn’t even know how to begin...”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s over.”

Annie reached out with her hand and pulled back the material of Beth’s button up blouse to reveal the scar left on her clavicle. The jagged line had faded to a dull pink, but against Beth’s pale skin, it was still very visible. It would take a while for it to go away completely, if it went away at all.

“He did that to you?” She frowned.

“Bastard.” Ruby whispered.

“Rio’s exact words.” Beth smiled, trying to lighten the severity of it, then changed the subject. “Come you guys, grab the wine please Annie, let’s go.”

“Wait, Beth. Are you sure you want to do this?”

She knew it was dangerous, but then, she knew that from the very beginning. It wasn’t easy either, but she wasn’t there for easy. Dean was easy, cushy, and look where that had gotten her - she was there for something raw, something real.

“Ruby, I appreciate it, really, but I love him. And I know what I’m doing.”

  


**…**

  


Rio turned uneasily in his bar stool and knocked back another shot. This seriously wasn’t how he wanted to spend his night.

“You wanna tell me why you brought me here?”

The man spoke with a rough voice, he sounded like he smoked two packs a day, which was likely possible.

Rio sucked on his bottom lip, carefully watching him. He was dressed head to toe in black. The only skin that showed was that of his neck and hands. Hair buzzed like Rio’s, but they looked nothing alike. This guy had to be in his late sixties at least. He was smaller than him too, and not even remotely threatening. Rio laughed inwardly and thought, _come on? Is this really the son of a bitch that’s been watching Beth?_ He knew his father had higher standards than this.

“Yeah,” Rio said, “I wanna know why you’ve been lurking.”

The man ran his thumb over his bottom lip. “We both know I’m only the messenger.”

“But you have been watching me?”

“Nah, you not so much, a little here and there. But that bitch of yours, sure.”

He was off his seat in seconds, and roughly grabbed the man by the lapels of his coat. God damn, he was stupid. “You wanna fucking say that again?”

He laughed then, a horrible insipid snicker that made Rio want to cave his face in even more. “Don’t be mad a me, Rio. You know your father sent me, if you’re angry go after him.” He held onto his collar with a vice grip, not willing to let go. “You like the attention?” He asked through gritted teeth.

Rio turned to look at the few pairs of eyes glued on them. He would have to learn to control his temper in front of people, he was making a scene.  He let go reluctantly and sat back down.

“Why are you here?”

“Daddy dearest wanted me to get some information about her, your, uh, lady,” he paused, a small grin on his face, waiting for Rio’s approval of the name change, but remained unmoving in his expression. “Look, I could find anything. Clearly she ain’t that interesting.”

His jaw clenched with fury. “What else do you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“The break ins, you know what’s going on there?” He didn’t trust this man as far as he could spit, but at this point, any information he could get would be better than spending another night clueless. He’d found him leaning against a black, unlicensed car, parked a few metres away from Beth’s front door.

_“I think you and I, we gotta talk,” he said, cooly approaching the guy._

_The motherfucker smiled at him, an irritating sight, he’d decided, and responded, “I was waiting for you to find me...”_

_Rio had kept his hand on his gun the whole ride over to this bar._

 

The man raised his hand to signal bartender for another drink. “Well yes, I do know about that,” he turned and looked Rio in the eye, “But where’s the fun in telling you?”

“How do I find him?”

“Who, your father?”

“Yes.” _Well who fucking else would he be talking about?_

He leaned in closer to Rio, “Hadley, and Reed.”

“What?” He asked, frustrated.

“That nonsense party, cabrón.”

 

He discarded the insult quickly, now remembering what Beth had told him a few days ago. She’d received an invite from Mr Hadley for an anniversary celebration. Twenty years of business. It was a long time, she had told him. They hadn’t yet responded, they still had a day or two left to RSVP anyways. It’s not too late, Rio thought.

 

He let the man go, not without a warning though,

 _“I see you anywhere near that neighborhood or anywhere near her and you’re dead, got it?”_ If it weren’t for the death grip Rio had on his throat when he said it, he might have been tempted to say something snarky, but it decided it was best to retreat.

Then Rio was off home to Beth. Fuck, he was tired and seriously needed some sleep.

  


**…**

  


The image was breathtaking:

The room was dimly lit by the moonlight, tinting her skin with a subtle glow. She was sleeping on her side, naked - the delicate bumps of her spine peaking through. The sheets pulled up to the curve of her hips. Her red locks framing her face.

 

Rio undressed and slipped into bed with her as quietly as possible, trying not to wake her. Though he felt her stir anyway. She started to turn, but he stopped her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Go back to sleep Elizabeth, ” he whispered, pressing a kiss behind her ear.

After that, she melted into his body.

“I missed you.” Her voice was raw, but still sweet.

“I’ve missed you too baby, god, you have no idea.”

He heard her laugh softly. “Why are you home so late?”

 

“Found the fucker driving around the neighborhood.”

“You did?!” Beth wriggled out of his arms and sat up, facing him.

“Yeah, dragged him to a bar, talked to him.”

“And?” Beth asked, her voice full of apprehension.

“He ain’t gonna be bothering you anymore.”

“How do you know that?”

“Trust me, he won’t.”

Her face didn’t change, her brow remained furrowed. “Are you sure? Because my safety’s gone out the window, I need my kids to be safe and if-”

“Elizabeth.” Rio slipped his hand over her thigh and squeezed, “ _Trust me._ ”

He stared at her for the longest time, willing her to believe him.

“Okay?”

“Okay,” She exhaled. That was one less thing she had to stress about then.

 

“We still have time to RSVP right?”

She was taken aback by the subject change, “You want to go that thing?”

“Yeah, I think I have to.”

“Why?”

He closed his eyes, ran his hand over his face, they really weren’t awake enough for a fully fledged conversation.

“My father might be there. I don’t know why, or if he’ll one hundred percent show up, but I have to check it out.”

“And here I thought you wanted to have some fun,” She smirked.

“I always have fun with you darlin’,” Then he pulled her down onto his chest and kissed her, “We can discuss this tomorrow though, we both need some sleep.”

 

Although they were tired, it did take a while for them to drift off. They both knew that if this was happening, it was happening for real, and Beth had no idea what Rio would do...

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> daddy dearest makes a stop...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please let me know what you think! your feedback is much appreciated ;)

“I’m sorry, you did what?!” Ruby nearly choked on her drink. She’d finally thought that the drama in their lives was starting to simmer down. Apparently, she was wrong.

Beth watched Annie carefully, her expression unreadable. She was getting good at that - the ability to stare someone down and not show an ounce of emotion. Something she’d learnt from Rio and enjoyed using endlessly. It made her look scarier, which made getting the kids to listen to her so much easier.

“So, that’s all you have to say?” Annie looked at both of them.

“What do you _want_ us to say?” Ruby said, setting her glass down on the table.

“I don’t know… Beth?”

Beth shook her head lightly. “I’m not entirely surprised. But I don’t think that was a smart idea.”

Annie pressed her fingers against her chest, shocked. “You don’t think it was a good idea? _You._ You who slept with someone who at a point could basically have killed you in a second and not thought twice about it!”

“Yeah, well, at least it wasn’t Dean.” Beth chuckled.

Annie groaned and fell back against the sofa cushions. “What am I gonna do?”

“I just hope you’re not pregnant.”

 _Of course Beth would say that,_ Annie thought. Even though Rio was one of the most irresponsible things she’d ever let happen to her, she wasn’t _that_ irresponsible.

She wasn’t planning it, and afterwards she had no idea what to do with herself. After a few too many drinks, the cinnamon schnapps had taken over Annie’s system. Sadie was at a sleepover and she was honestly just bored. So she called Greg and by some miracle, he showed up.

_He looked confused as she opened the door. “Is there a reason you called me or-”_

_Annie grabbed him and planted her mouth on his before he could finish the sentence._

He didn’t protest. He wanted to do it too. And Annie had to remind herself that every time she thought about it, before she could feel the endless guilt wash over her.

“I’m not,” She said finally, frowning at Beth.

“Annie,” Ruby sighed, “What do you _want_ to do?”

“Do, do you have feelings for him?” Beth asked.

This happened less than a few hours ago and she was still too hungover for this. She palmed her face, “Okay, too many questions.”

“Do you though?”

“I don’t know… maybe?”

“Annie,” Beth said, her voice stern, “Nancy’s about to have their baby. You need to decide what you want. Maybe not right this minute, but soon.”

That was another thing Annie really wanted to forget. Nancy was pregnant, the IVF had worked. Only after a few more rounds, but it had happened. She wasn’t sure how to feel about it when she’d first found out a few months ago. Though she had tried to brush the feelings off, now she couldn’t. And she suspected that Greg had mixed feelings about this too. Because, why else would he have left his wife that night to so willingly go to his ex?

She looked up at her sister, “I know.”

Beth held her breath. She hoped Annie would figure this out soon, hoped Greg would cooperate too, hoped poor Nancy would come out of this unscathed.

****

**…**

****

Beth padded into the kitchen late on a Friday morning. There she found Rio sat down by the island, sipping on a cup of coffee. The image of Rio wrapped up in domestic bliss made her smile. She moved to stand behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing kisses into his neck.

“Good morning.”

“Morning sweetheart,” He whispered, his voice still thick and raspy. He turned to place a kiss on her cheek. “How’d you sleep?”

“Hmm, good. But I always sleep well when you’re next to me.”

Rio smiled.

Beth rounded the island and grabbed a mug off the dish rack at the sink. “So, what are you doing today?”

“Gotta go down to the warehouse, we’re putting in new cameras.”

Beth cocked her head, “So, the others got damaged during a break in?”

Rio took one last sip and put his mug down, “Yeah. In a few days we’re replacing the locks too.”

It wasn’t that the warehouses held anything that was so important it couldn’t be replaced. It was mainly inventory and stock and machinery. So he couldn’t for the life of him understand why someone would make such a mess, and just end up leaving everything. It begged the question, what did his father want?

“But I’ve still got a few hours to kill. What about you?”

“Mr Hadley sent me an email last night. I’ve got to come in this afternoon for a little bit. This morning though, I’ve got to go grocery shopping.”

They spent the next few moments soaking up the morning light while it still filtered through the kitchen windows and made breakfast. Afterwards, they cleaned up and Beth went back to the bedroom.

She turned on the taps in the shower. While she waited for the water to reach just the right side of too hot, she stripped off her silk pajamas. That was when Rio walked in, slowly and lazily.

“Are you gonna gonna join me?” Beth asked, smiling playfully.

He matched her with a grin her and pulled his clothes from his body too. Taking the gesture as a yes, Beth stepped towards the shower.

Though before she could get a foot under the water, an arm wrapped around her and pulled he back.

“Rio!” She squealed, “What are you doing?”

He pulled her flush against his back and kissed her shoulder. “Having some fun darlin’.” He walked them over to the bathroom countertop and pushed Beth against it. She gasped as the cool marble surface hit her skin.

“The taps! Rio, my water bill is going to be insane.”

“Aight, hold on mama,” He chuckled, and lightly slapped her ass. Then he was off her, moving to turn the water off.

When he came back, his hands were all over her, running over her belly, breasts, caressing the sensitive skin of her ribs.

“You’re being very inconvenient, you know that?” Beth sighed.

“I do, but you like this.”

“I didn’t ask for it though.”

His hands only pressed harder against her flesh and moved down her torso until he reached her slippery folds. She was already so wet for him. “Well, it sure feels like your body’s asking for it.”

Rio’s lips grazed her ear, his voice was low and pure sexual energy when he asked, “Do you want it?”

Who was she kidding? She’d always want him, her body would prove it to her much faster than her mind ever could. A shiver ran down her spin as she tried to string a sentence together. Though was she could manage was a soft, but clear, “ _yes_ ”.

Her fingers curled around the edge of the sink, she waited as he positioned himself at her entrance, running his head along her slit.

He teased her until her hips were writhing of their own volition, pressing harder into his body. Then, he pushed into her tight passage, groaning at the way she contracted around him.

Beth’s head dropped, a whimper escaped her as he pushed all the way in, until he had bottomed out.

Rio heard her curse and laughed, placing one hand on her shoulder blade, the other on her hip and began moving.

They kept in rhythm with each other’s bodys, going faster or slower when they needed it. Beth would have thought this was some kind of dreamy nirvana if it weren’t for his mouth occasionally scattering wet kisses along the top her spine, urging her back into wakefulness.

She wanted to ask why he had chosen to do it here. Why not the shower? God knew he loved taking her in there. But Beth was too turned on to think about it in more detail, her legs felt weak, god - she was going to come soon. Her head dropped even lower as she let out a groan. Her eyes closed for the merest second, concentrating on the feel of him pumping in and out of her.

“Elizabeth,” she faintly heard. “I want you to look up.”

She was so heady with the smell him, of sex, that she wasn’t sure how she managed to force her eyes open, force her head to lift to the scene in the mirror. She saw how flushed her face was. Red spots were blooming all over her chest and her hair was a mess. That’s why he fucked her here. So he could watch her unravelling.

Beth made eye contact with him, and the carnal glee practicing seeping from him told her she was absolutely right.

He pulled his dick out, then pushed in roughly, the force of it making Beth’s hipbone hit against the counter. “You see that baby? You see how hot you look when I fuck you like this?”

She could only moan in response. Her nerves were on fire. Maybe it was a combination of the cold granite against her burning skin, maybe it was Rio’s hot mouth on her neck but she’d never felt anything this intense before.

“Fuck, you… you’re gonna make me come.” She whimpered, her hot, dripping core pulsing around him.

“That’s it,” he hissed, feeling a gush of fluid run down her legs, “Come with me Elizabeth.”

Through half lidded eyes, dark and lustful, Rio watched her. He could see she was trying her best to keep his gaze in the mirror, but she was just close as he was. He wrapped one arm full circle around her waist while his free hand went to where they were connected and pushed her over the edge with him - getting drunk off the way her face scrunched, the way she screamed his name.

After the high, after the pleasure had subdued, but still gently tugged at their senses, Rio turned her around. He kissed her slowly, biting her lip and drawing out a low moan from the back of her throat.

“Am I still an inconvenience?” He asked against her cheek.

“Hmm, no…” She pursed her lips, “But are you actually going to shower with me or was that all a ploy to do this? Because if it was, it wasn’t necessary.”

He smiled and took her hand, leading her into the shower. He toyed with the taps until the water was boiling. It was too hot, he never understood how she could do it, but he was willing to suffer through it for her anyway…

****

**…**

****

“Damn girl. You’re on fire!” Annie sucked her fingers into her mouth and released each one with an exaggerated pop. “You’re wearing _that_?”

“Yeah.” Beth said, pulling the tight material down her hips and stepping out of the dress.

“Rio seen you in this thing yet?”

“He was with me when I chose it,” She laughed.

They’d picked it months ago, back when Beth saw his apartment for the first time, but Annie didn’t need to know that.  She found her sister’s amazement hilarious. Sure, it was pretty, hugged her in all the right places, and with its bright red color, made her skin luminous, but it wasn’t, as Rio put it, ‘met gala type shit’. The memory made her giggle. Either way the off the shoulder straps and the slit along the skirt that stopped mid-thigh was sure to get her plenty of attention.

“When is _Deansy_ dropping off the kids?” The stupid nickname always tickled Beth, regardless of how she felt towards the man.

“I’m not sure, in an hour or so?” Beth reached for her phone to check the time, “Yes. An hour, if he’s not late.” Punctuality was never his strong point.

“Is Rio gonna be here when that happens?”

“Probably. Why all the questions?” Beth put her clothes back on, then placed the dress back on its hanger and set out on the bed next to Rio’s suit.

“I don’t know…” She looked baffled for a second, but then of course, she threw some good old Annie Marks humour at Beth, “I guess wanna know what happens when they interact? Is there like a massive explosion from all the tension or something?”

Beth rolled her eyes, “Annie!”

She giggled, but chose not to back down, “No seriously, I mean, Rio is a scary dude, and I’m sure Dean feels his failures as a husband, but even more so as a love making machine when your man’s around.”

Beth choked on a laugh. “Did you just compare them to a love making -”

“No, definitely not. Dean’s got a sad dad bod, has no idea how the female body works, and probably lasts less than two minutes. _Now Rio_ ,” She took a deep breath and moved her hair out of face, to show she was getting serious, “Rio on the other hand, is pure muscle and looks like he wants to eat you every time he looks at you. I mean... he’s probably a sex god.”

Beth glared at her, half mortified, half impressed with her accuracy - and Annie stared back at her, her expression saying, “ _oh come on, tell me I’m wrong._ ” She definitely wasn’t.

And only to make the situation worse, to make Beth blush like crazy, she dared the question,

“Is Rio kinky, or a five minute missionary kinda guy?”

“ _Oh my god_ , I am _not_ having this conversation with you!”

Annie laughed then, a massive, uncontrollable cackle that shook the quietness of Beth’s bedroom. She couldn’t stop, not until the tears had welled in her eyes and she to fight to breathe. “You know, if you don’t give me the deets I’m just gonna make my own assumptions, and with my imagination, do you really want that?”

As calmly as she could, Beth took the clothing from where it lay next to Annie and hooked each hanger over the top of the closet. That way they couldn’t wrinkle.

For a second her sister thought she’d chosen not to retaliate, but she should’ve known better than to trust the almost too cool veneer she had in that moment. Before she could realize what was happening, Beth ran towards her, and pounced on the bed, hitting Annie over and over with the first pillow she could grab.

At the end of it, Annie’s imagination ran wild anyway, spouting scenarios at Beth while still being pounded by a feather pillow. After a while, Beth stopped caring, she was cackling too - but she wouldn’t dare confirm her sister’s comments.

They were still in stitches over their shenanigans when Dean eventually came over, and of course it got worse when Rio actually spoke to him, even if it was a brief conversation.

Though, the laughter came to a halt when Rio sauntered passed Beth, kissing her senselessly on the way, and said, “You haven’t been able to keep that gorgeous fucking mouth of yours still this whole time. You’re gonna have to tell me later what was so damn funny about that conversation. But we’ve gotta get ready now mama.”

Once he was out of sight, Annie mouthed the words ‘definitely kinky’ in Beth’s direction and turned on her heels to say hi to the kids.

  


**…**

****

Her hair was pulled into a half up, half down style, almost like that of Brigitte Bardot, but curled. Her eyes were framed with thick black wings, her lips were pink, and the dress was complemented with a pair of Louis Vuitton heels.

He wore a navy blue suit with a white shirt and a set of golden cufflinks she’d gotten him a while ago. The combination made him look almost regal. And then that damn tattoo was the killer. Sometimes Beth forgot how lucky she was to have him, and when she remembered, she was reminded that she could never let him go. Ever.

After saying goodbye to the kids and warning Annie about keeping things together while they were gone, they were on their way, driving to the venue in Rio’s cadillac.

Beth had gotten so wrapped up in the day’s activities and messing around with her sister that she’d nearly forgotten why they were going to this thing. Suddenly the leather seat felt unbearably cold beneath her legs. She looked over at Rio, swallowed hard, and breathed,

“Remind me again.”

The game plan. How was the night going to run?

His jaw clenched and released. “You’ve got your gun, yeah?”

“It’s in my purse.”

“Don’t let it leave your side.”

“I know.”

She was worried. He didn’t even have to look at her, he could tell. And, he could understand, but when they’d gone over it, he’d assured her it wasn’t going to be bad. It was still a celebration, and she should have fun. Beth wasn’t there for his business, or his father’s mess, he was. The gun, it was for her own protection. His own was sitting snugly in between the band of his trousers (it was amazing what length of a blazer could hide, just by the way) because he wasn’t taking chances.

He ran his hand over her leg, caressing her through the soft material of her dress. “Elizabeth, you’re never gonna get through the night of you don’t breath, okay?” He smiled softly at her when their eyes met.

She nodded.

The place was too gorgeous for words. They’d arrived mid afternoon so the sun and sky combined had cast the world around them in varying shades of gold and pink. The party was set in an outside venue and the garden was massive, complete with lush red and white roses siting neatly at each table. As Beth looked around, she noted a string quartet set up at one side. The soft music and warm chatter filtering through the air relaxed her slightly, and she took a deep breath.

As they walked into the crowd of tuxedos and custom made dresses, Rio grabbed Beth’s hand and pulled her close to his side. The display of possession nearly made her blush, _she was his, and he was going to make sure everyone knew_.

Not even a second goes by and all heads turned to the new couple that had just walked in.

Beth sucked in a nervous breath, “They’re looking at us, why are they looking at us?”

He stilled, looked down at her. His eyes glittered with a completely indescribable magic.

“Nah red, they’re looking at _you_. You look beautiful tonight.”

After the curious eyes had wandered back to their own conversation, Beth stole a quick kiss from him. They started making their rounds, first with the people they knew and then onto the ones they had not yet met. There were a few sour greetings, but they almost expected it. They were aware they were an odd pairing, Beth with her doe eyes and innocent smile, then Rio, with his enigmatic features and intimidating presence. Rio always managed to get a kick out people’s reactions.

Every now and again Beth would catch Rio doing a full three sixty rotation from where they stood. He was scanning for trouble. Each time she had to remind herself, _breathe, breathe._

Half an hour or so into the evening, the two main stars of the night appeared at their sides.

Mr Hadley, eccentric as ever, donned a dark green three piece suite, a black hat atop his head and Mr Reed, a white blazer with his grey hair gelled back.

“Emerald and white, the colours for twenty years,” Mr Hadley commented after he saw Beth eyeing him.

“Or so we’ve heard.” Mr Reed added with a chuckle.

“I’m not quite sure it applies to this kind of business,” Beth smiled, “But I like it. You two gentlemen look very debonair.”

They bowed at the compliment.

“Speaking of anniversaries… I notice that mademoiselle has no rings on her fingers. Are you planning anything for the future?”

She blushed and looked at Rio. Mademoiselle _._ _Unmarried_. It had been so long since she’d been called that. There were probably only being polite - but then, she wasn’t married, hadn’t been for a while. And it wasn’t that she was screaming for the shackles of marriage, the chains Dean had tied around her ankles. Though, with Rio, she could admit it wouldn’t hurt to attach his last name to hers. To sign those papers, to make him hers.

But Beth only smiled, the most gorgeous thing Rio had ever seen.

“Well, I’m not quite sure we’re there yet,” she said, looking at each of them.

Rio squeezed her fingers, and trailed his hand to the small of her back. He watched her for a moment, amused, and the image tugged at Beth’s heart strings.

The two mean left them to continue their socializing and skipped into the crowd of guests that were all there to celebrate with them. Rio walked over to open bar to fetch him and Beth another drink, they opted for martinis this time. The first set of drinks were flutes of champagne.

While he was gone, it had dawned on Beth that it had been a little under a year since she’d done him a favour. That they’d been together for that long. The thought was terrifying, but for a completely different reason. If you were to ask Beth Boland a year or two ago what she imagined her future looking like, she would never have conjured up something as strange as this. And the crazy thing is, _Elizabeth Marks_ wouldn’t have it any other way. “ _Who knew you could fall in love with a crime lord after robbing him blind?”_ She thought to herself.

She was shocked back from her reverie when Rio spoke next her, nudging at her arm with the salted coated rim of her new drink.

“Something on your mind mama?”

She took the drink, sipped slowly, and shook her head. “It’s nothing… shouldn’t you be on high alert or something?”

“Yeah, but I want you to be comfortable.”

A flood of thoughts came gushing through her of all the bad things that could still happen. “Nothing about this is comfortable.” She said, almost too quickly.

When he touched her cheek, rubbed his thumb across it’s curve, he could feel the negativity flow from her to him, but tried his best to hide it. “I know.”

Most of the evening went by without any disruptions, which if anything, only made Rio more tense. He knew something had to happen, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. It would happen.

It wasn’t until the litany of speeches from Hadley and Reed, the endless thank you from partners and associates that things finally started happening. Within the enthrallment, the relative peace of the moment, Rio couldn’t seem to calm the vicious pounding in his chest, the fire in his veins. It had gotten so bad that he wanted to leave, clear his head. He’d been wracking his brain, thinking about what to do when his gaze landed on Beth. She was listening intently to the speaker, though her palms were gliding vigorously over her arms. Goosebumps had erupted all over her skin.

“You want me to get your coat darlin’?”

“It’s all the way in the car baby, it’s fine.”

“Are you cold?”

“A little but-”

“Then I’m gonna go get it. I’ll be back in a minute.”

He wandered in between the tables and up through the entrance that was made up of a flowery archway. The walk wasn’t too long, since he hadn’t parked that far away. When he reached the car, the sound of it unlocking sounded so unusually loud in the quiet of the night. It almost felt eerie, almost felt foreboding.

As he was about to reach over and pull the black faux fur coat from the seat, he heard footsteps coming from behind. They definitely weren’t heels, so it wasn’t Beth, that much he knew. Slowly, he straightened, took a moment, and cleared his throat before turning around.

“Alex.”

The face staring back at him was smiling with crooked teeth and sharp eyes. His dark unkempt hair contrasted against the clean cut of his suit. Rio wondered for a moment how he could have afforded it…

“Now is that any way to greet your papi?”

Rio laughed bitterly and shook his head. “You wanna pretend like you deserve the title after all this time?”

He didn’t answer, only watched Rio.

“How’d you know it was me?” He asked.

“We both knew you’d be here. No one else would have followed me out here anyways.” He gestured towards the car.

“It could’ve been your girl.” Rio’s fists clenched, a cold finger ran up his spine. He better stay away from her. That included talking about her.

“I knew it was you.” He pressed his back against the driver’s door of the cadillac. He figured this might take a while. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to talk to y-”

“No.” He interrupted, “I mean what are you doing back in my life.”

Alex smacked his lips together. “You know, I thought you’d be more upset.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m fucking pissed.” Rio said, a knot forming in brow, “Answer the question, Alex.”

“I’m here to get my business back.”

The sureness in his voice made Rio laugh. “I’m sorry what?” _Like that was ever going to happen._

“The papers. I need the papers.”

“What papers?”

“ _Pinche idiota. Los papeles a la empresa!,_ ” The first little slip in his composure, Rio thought, this was finally getting interesting.

Rio licked his bottom lip, squared his shoulders, in an attempt to stay calm just for a little while longer. “You mean the ones that _I_ signed, the ones that put the business in _my_ name.” He pointed angrily to his chest with each emphasized word.

“Those and the deed to the warehouse.”

“ _Warehouses_. There’s more than one.” He shot back, tone clipped. Stupid motherfucker, Rio thought. This man had isolated himself from his own handy work for so long he’d forgotten how things would have changed, would have grown in his absence.

“Ah, so you’ve upscaled.” He almost sounded impressed, but Rio brushed the comment off as quickly as it came.

“No.” He argued, “I took your company, the one you made illegal with money laundering, the one you left to _rot_ , and made it a thousand times better than what you could ever have done.”

Alex scowled at him then, and Rio smirked inwardly. _There’s that mean glare he knew so well._ Though whatever he could have used as defense would have been was pointless, because he knew Rio was right. His father opened his mouth but was stopped with a hand gesture. “But hang on, let me get this straight. You were getting your little messengers to fuck around at the _one_ warehouse because you thought you’d find the deeds there?”

And suddenly he had nothing to say.

Rio started howling again in disbelief. He wanted to stop laughing so badly, but he couldn’t. God damn, his father really had let himself go. That edge that always used to be there? Gone. That spark of ambition so obvious in his gaze? Gone. The fact that he’d gotten _someone_ else to do the work for him only stressed the point that the man wasn’t nearly as savvy as he was twenty years ago.

Rio had to admit, it wasn’t that strange for him to think the documents were at the warehouse, but they were never there. Things could get stolen, and he could always replace them. Those papers though? A lot harder to deal with. That’s why he kept them hidden away in his apartment. Hardly anyone knew he stayed there, which meant they were safe.

Eventually, Rio managed to regain his seriousness, and took a deep breath. He pushed of the side of the car and stepped forward.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.” He said, his voice now lacking emotion.

His father remained stoic. At least he was still able to do that, not crack in the face of danger.

“You’re not serious, hijo.” _So, we’re being endearing now huh?_ he thought, noting the name change.

“Oh but I am.” Rio moved the material of his blazer and pulled out his desert eagle.

“You killed my brother. I have just as much reason to riddle you with bullets, but you don’t see me whipping any guns out.”

“Yeah, but you still brought one with you.” Rio countered, pointing with his to his father’s pant pocket. The bulge was so painfully obvious it was stupid. He pulled the slide back, but kept the barrel lowered to the ground. “You wanna start listing?”

“Think about your mami.”

He shook his head again. “You abandoned her, hurt her. Try again.”

“The company.”

“Don’t even start there. You left me at seventeen to clean up that mess.”

“The girl.”

Rio stopped moving and came to a standstill, just a metre or so away from his father. “You sent Eduardo to assault her, _multiple times_. That alone gives me plenty reason.”

“You want her to know you’re a killer, that you’re the reason Eduardo is gone?”

“You think she doesn’t know?” His eyes narrowed as he said it.

The air around them was so heavy with the twenty years of unreleased tension, that for a second all they could do was stare at each other. Rio was just about ready to position himself, he’d even began to wonder where he’d shoot- head or heart? He was weighing out his options, when he heard the clatter of heels against the floor.

“Rio!” He heard her call out.

_Jesus, Elizabeth, your timing was impeccable._

“Rio? Why are you taking so long? You’ve missed-”

The words evaporated on her tongue as she came around the car. She looked at him, then at his father. She recognized him immediately.

“Rio, what are you doing?”

Alex gave her a once over and his lips curved awkwardly. “That’s her?”

Rio chose not to say anything, but kept his eyes steadily on the scene unfolding. He watched as his father stepped closer to her.

“She must be one _fine_ puta! I see why you’re so smitten, hijo.” The words made her feel sick. He had the same slow drawl as Rio. But it wasn’t at all as hypnotizing. Wasn’t at all the type of thing you could listen to all day long. No, this was the sort of voice that made the hairs on the nape of your neck jump, that made you uneasy.

“You better watch what you say Alex,” Rio spat, raising his gun without hesitation.

“It’s a compliment.” The words were for Rio, but he winked at her as he said them.

“Elizabeth,” he breathed, “You’re purse, now.”

He saw the doubt in her eyes and nodded slowly. _It’s okay, just do it_. So Beth quickly loosened the strap of the bag slung over her shoulder and pulled her glock out. She waited for a second nod from Rio before dropping the bag to floor and allowing both hands to wrap around the grip. Then she pulled the slide back without instruction. Her heart was beating as fast as a jack rabbit, there was no way she could actually do this, could she?

Alex watched her as if he could see straight through the thin slice of bravery she hid behind. He smirked, like he hadn’t expected her to be armed, her and her seemingly fragile body, fragile mind.

“Look, this was fun hijo, but I’m tired now.” He stated cooly, and yanked his gun from his pocket too. He pulled back the safety and aimed straight for Beth. He clearly didn’t feel like wasting any more time.

“She has one too, Alex. You think she won’t shoot?” You wouldn’t have been able to see it just from looking at him, but Rio’s insides were swelling with a mixture of terror and fury at the thought that his father might shoot before she could even get the chance.

“What! No I- Rio, I can’t!”

“Yes, you can.”

Alex laughed, “Her lily ass? She doesn’t have it in her.” A few small strides later and he was almost touching her, his front sight barely ghosting over her forehead.

Rio groaned and bit his tongue so hard he could taste blood. “Elizabeth! Aim for fuck sakes!” Yelling at her was not something he was enjoying, but he was getting worked up, if she couldn’t focus, couldn’t ground herself, she’d be dead within seconds.

Completely shaken by his words, Beth raised her to point the barrel into his shoulder. The two of them held a silent staring match, before Alex looked away, amused.

“She doesn’t have the balls to shoot me Rio. Which is what makes this so much more fun.”

“What does?” Beth asked meekly.

Without another word, he spun around, pointed the gun towards Rio and –

BANG!

“Rio?!” Beth screamed, instantly leaping forward as he stumbled back, his body hitting the car with a horrible thump.

He groaned in pain, looking at his father. “You’re a terrible fucking shot! You know that right?” His hand went to grip the material of his shirt. “Do have any idea how much this stings?”

Alex only chuckled, the dark, unholy satisfaction written all over him. “Well, what’s the saying? An eye for an eye. You take my brother and I take her… whatever it is you are.”

Rio wanted to comment on the fact that his father should have knocked him down properly the first time for them to be truly even. But the asshole shot him in the stomach, he wasn’t dead, _yet_.

It didn’t take long for a crimson patch to appear beneath his fingers, for the red to coat his hands.

“Y- you, you shot him? You actually shot him!” Beth was in disbelief. _No. No. This was not happening. This could not be happening._

“So?”

“ _You shot your son!_ ” She shouted, voice breaking.

“Yeah, and your point is?”

Beth had never been able to understand the ominous, red fog she saw clouding Rio all those months ago, could never understand how it just over take you so suddenly and without warning, how you could just take something as valuable as a life and just crush it so effortlessly without remorse…

Until now.

There were no doubts now, not even a moment’s hesitation as she adjusted her arm for the barrel to be in line with his chest. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard, maybe the adrenaline, the fear for the man she loved licking up her bones would make this the easiest decision she’d ever make.

 _A sin was a sin, whether it was stealing, or murdering, it remained a sin, plain and simple. And that’s where the line seemed to blur._ She’d sinned once to save her family, and now, she’s do it again, even if this family wasn’t bound to her by blood.

The trigger was pulled and it happened so fast she didn’t have time to begin pondering things as inane as guilt or fingerprints on weapons, or hell, even the bang and the fact that someone would have heard,

because as soon as his body collapsed to the ground, so did her gun.

Beth was at Rio’s side so fast she nearly tripped over her dress. Her hands were all over him, his face first, then to where the bullet had hit him. He was clutching tightly at the bloody wound seeping through his shirt and wouldn’t let go.

“No no no no! Rio don’t do this to me!” She pried his fingers away and ripped at the material, buttons flying in all directions.

“Elizabeth…its, its not th-at bad, kay?”

The blood was pouring out so quickly, the image nearly made her dizzy. She ran her hand over the plane of his stomach and through to his back to feel if the bullet had gone all the way through. When all she could feel was feverish skin and the bumps of his spine, her panic increased tenfold. It hadn’t gone through.

“Oh god, okay, okay, Rio, I need to take your blazer off. Can you move your arms?”

He nodded weakly and tried his hardest to help Beth pull the thing off, but ultimately only made her job more difficult.

After she’d gotten his arms out, she tugged it out from where it was trapped between his back and as his skin made contact with his freezing cold metal of the car door, he cried out in agony. Beth wasted no time and pressed the thick material to the wound and added as much pressure as she could with her shaky hands.

“Th-the guns…you don’t have a, a lot of time.” Rio coughed, his fingers trying to point to the forgotten firearms.

“Oh to hell with the guns Rio!”

She finally started crying, sobbing violently over his body as the big fat tears splashed onto his cheeks. She dared to look at him properly, at his ashen skin, dark eyes barely able to stay open. She couldn’t stop pounding in her head, her heart, her veins. She repeated the words, pleading as if they alone would heal him,

“You don’t get to leave me. Not yet. Don’t you dare fucking leave me!”

“I’m not, leaving you sweetheart… promise.” His voice was getting softer and softer, the blood seeping through the jacket, becoming a sticky mess around their fingers, but still didn’t seem to slow. Instinctively she pressed his fingers harder against the sore spot,

“Hold on.”

He laughed, then winced, “Easy tiger, you’re hurtin’ my fingers with that damn grip of yours.”

“You’re gonna have to keep your hands there,” She huffed out, “I need to get help…”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's like the rubbish plot just came spewing from my fingertips, I don't even know if what I put down makes sense.  
> BUT ANYWAYS haha  
> thank you lovely people for all the comments and kudos!  
> let me know what you think:)

The waiting room was freezing. Beth couldn’t remember any hospital room ever being this cold - but then, she was in shock. Little over two hours ago she was crouching over Rio’s wounded torso, praying as if god could hear her. She knew that if whatever divinity in the sky decided to take him that night, she’d be angry for the rest of her life.

She shivered, and pulled his blood soaked blazer tighter around her shoulders. It didn’t help, not even a little, but it felt like the only thing she had to hold onto, to ground her. One of the nurses had tried to take it from her but Beth had made such a scene that the poor woman was probably scared of her now.

It was one in the morning and exhaustion seeped from every pore. If she could just close her eyes for a second, stop the pulsing in her ears, she would. But the fear gnawed at her gut with an insatiable hunger.

Before she could completely resign to the outside world that smelt of latex and carbolic, she heard a voice next to her.

“Jesus, you look like hell.” She looked up to find Annie hovering over her, completely out of breath.

“Thanks.” Beth tried to sound at least _half alive_ , but could find the energy. Annie dropped into the hard metal seat next to her sister and sighed. “You got here fast.”

“Kids were fast asleep when you called, so I didn’t have to worry about that. How long have you been here?”

Beth rubbed her palms over her face. “I don’t know. It’s like I’ve sat in this chair forever. I can’t even feel my legs anymore.”

“Is Maria coming, does she know?”

She tried swallowing the lump in her throat. “Francisco knows. He's gonna bring her over in the morning.”

“He’s gonna be okay, right?” She asked, catching Beth’s hand and lacing her fingers through hers.

“I fucking hope so, he has to.”

Annie couldn’t help but stare at the dark patches on the blazer. The sight was unnerving. Rio? Rio’s blood? She almost couldn’t believe it, the man was seemingly invincible.

“I left my jacket in the car, I can go get it if you want. Didn’t you have a coat with you?”

“I did, I did, but it’s still in the back seat and the g-”

She stopped, realizing what was coming out of her mouth. Could she tell Annie this?

****

When Beth eventually found the strength to let go of Rio’s hands, she crawled to her purse from where it had landed and fished out her phone with shaky hands. She called an ambulance and mumbled an address.

****

_“Elizabeth… the guns… you have to…”_

_“I don’t care about that!”_

****

She didn’t care. Rio was the most important thing to her in that moment, that was all she cared about, that he would die if things didn’t move fast enough. But of course, being the stubborn man that he is, he didn’t shut up and at that point Beth would’ve done anything to keep him quiet. He didn’t need to be wasting energy talking to her.

So she scrambled for the guns, only theirs. She shoved them onto the back seat, covering them with the thick fur of her coat.

****

When people started arriving (because duh, gunshots are loud) she was back at his side, holding his head in her palms and being an all round whimpering mess. There were voices chiding at her from every angle, but it all sounded like white noise to her. There was hands all over her, trying to pull her from him, so they could too assess the damage.

The litany of questions thrown at them was too overwhelming to bare. So she simply blocked them out.

Rio grated his teeth, and announced, “Yo, people, give the lady some space, give me some space god damn it. I’m dying over here!”

Joke or not, it twisted Beth’s insides into millions of knots.

****

Annie squeezed her arm, “What Beth?”

She looked at her, and _fuck it_ , she thought. She was done keeping things from her sister.

“The, guns.” She said, closing her eyes. “I hid them in the coat.”

“Yours and Rio’s?”

“Yes.”

“Why’d you do that?”

Beth leaned in closer, not risking any curious ears, and whispered, “They were just lying on the ground and we couldn’t just _leave_ them. We’d be caught faster than you can say-”

“Wait!” Annie interrupted, “You shot someone?!” She raked over her sisters features, wide eyed.

Oh god, she was going to start crying all over again. “I, I didn’t know what to do, okay? He shot Rio and I - I just- I don’t know!”

“ _You shot him?!_ ”

“Don’t look at me like that. What if it was Sadie lying there? You would have done it in a heartbeat.”

Annie crashed hard against the chair, blowing out a huge puff of air.

“I mean yeah, but jesus Beth that’s- did you really?”

“I don’t think I have the mental capacity to joke with you right now.”

“Okay.”

She was clearly still in disbelief and Beth couldn’t help but feel a twinge in her chest.

“Do you hate me now that I’ve done that?”

“Are you serious? No Beth, of course not.” She assured, stretching her arms out to hug her, “Come here.”

Beth accepted her arms gladly, soaking up her sister’s warmth.

“I love you Annie.”

“Love you too Beth.”

 

**…**

 

After a couple more hours, a tired doctor materialized in the waiting room, looking at Beth with watery eyes. She untangled from Annie so fast she nearly ripped her limbs off. She held her breath, and clutched tightly at the fabric of the blazer, in fear that if she’d taken Annie’s hand, she might have cut off her circulation.

 _“He’s stable.”_ He’d said with a tight lipped smile, lightly brushing his palm over Beth’s shoulder. “ _You should go home and clean up, maybe get some rest. Visitors will only be allowed in the morning._ ” ****  
** **

 

She swore that she’d never heard better sounding words in her life. _He was stable._ That meant he had a chance.

****

So Annie drove her home shortly after, and stayed until the later hours of the morning gave way to lighter, sunny skies. Beth grimaced at its brightness, partly because she hadn’t gotten a moments sleep and her eyes were sensitive, and partly because she hated how the world dared to go on being so happy and gay when the man she loved was stuck to catheter.

She’d forced herself into the shower after Annie had taken one, and put on a light grey tunic dress. She had no energy to deal with tight mom jeans today, no sir.

She called Dean on the way back to hospital, asking that he could pick up the kids earlier and explained that she was going to be out most of the day.

****

She stepped into Rio’s room with shaky legs. He was lying there, drips and needles poking into him at every angle. He was still sleeping, the heart monitor next to him beeping in rhythm with the rise and fall of his chest. If it weren’t for all the harsh tubes and machinery, you could have sworn he was perfectly okay.

“He looks so peaceful, doesn’t he?”

Beth heard the voice from one side of the room. She peeled her eyes from his body and looked at Maria who was sitting next to the bed.

“Yeah, I guess he does.” She smiled, moving to the open seat on the other side of the bed. “They told me he’s not gonna wake up for another few hours.”

“I heard, yes.”

****

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, not wanting to ruin the hope that culminated within the calmness.

“Beth?”

Her eyes shot up. “Maria?”

“How are you doing?”

She almost laughed. How was she doing? Here lay her son, probably the most precious thing in her life, she should be beside herself with worry - and here she was, asking _how she was doing_.

Regardless of her thoughts, she sighed, “I’m not gonna lie, I’m scared.”

Maria shook her head solemnly, “Mi querida niña, me too.”

****

Beth felt the tears coming again, but blinked them away fast. Hesitantly, worried she might dislodge a tube, she reached for Rio’s hand, carefully curling her fingers around his palm. Even like this, in his fraught state, his hands were still warm - and Beth would take whatever she could get, greedily.

 

**…**

 

Rio shook his head, immediately feeling the pain pour from his synapses. He opened one eye at a time, and found his blurred gaze directed toward a white ceiling. Was he dead? Cause it sure fucking felt like it.

Carefully he twisted his head to the side, taking in the view of the city through the windows, then to the other side, his lips curved at the sight. Beth had tucked her legs underneath her, curling up in the chair. She’d fallen asleep, her head laid on its arm rest.

Trying his hardest, he reached his hand out. She was so close, if he could just feel her skin - fuck.

He could only reach so far before the catheter dug too harshly into him.

He hissed at the pinching sensation in his veins, and drew back. “Fucking hell.”

As if his words triggered something deep within her (even in sleep) Beth’s eyes opened. Slowly, she lifted her head to look at him.

“You’re awake.”

He smiled, “You too.”

She shifted her chair closer, and leaned down to him. She took his hand then, bringing it to her lips and kissed his fingers. Now that he could touch her, he moved his hand, and caressed the apple of her cheek.

“How are you feeling?”

“It’s a kicker darlin’,” He laughed softly, his voice raspy. “How about you?”

She sighed, gently putting his hand back over the blanket that covered him. “I, I don’t know how I feel right now.”

“You ain’t happy to see me?”

She dropped back into her seat.  “No I am. I just - ”

“You just?”

“You made me shoot him. Why?”

“Why do you think?” He asked, slightly sarcastic.

“You could have shot him.”

“I gave you that gun for a reason. What do you think this is Elizabeth, a game?”

She knew this wasn’t a game. And sure, maybe it was a stupid question but seriously, he had a gun, and he was so ready and willing - practically drooling at the prospect - to shoot the man that had given him so much grief. “No of course not!”

“If you can’t handle this then why are you even with me?” The words were wrenched from his mouth faster than what he could control, and immediately regretted it. The look of defeat, of pain on her face, the look that said, _how can you even ask me that after everything that’s happened?_ made his gut turn.

“I never said I regret putting a bullet in his skull.”

“Then why are you acting like this?” He should stop goading her, he knew, but…

She scoffed. “Why am _I_ acting like this?”

His brow knotted, a deep frown enveloped his features. “Yeah. Cause right now it looks like you couldn’t handle it. Where are your claws Elizabeth?”

“My claws?” She looked at him with indignance.

“Your fight. Your drive.”

She bashed her hands against the bed hopelessly, “Did you not hear me? I don’t care that I killed him! I would have killed a hundred people if it meant you’d come out of this alive!”

“Then what -”

“You wanna know why I’m angry?” She interrupted.

“Yes!”

Beth sat forward again, and took a deep breath, feeling the tears well all over again. “You won’t remember this, but I got so damn scared in that ambulance. You started fading so fast and I was screaming at you like a banshee, begging you not to go. All I wanted to do was hold your hand, kiss you a thousand times over. They wouldn’t let me touch you, instead they threw me in this weird shock blanket and told me to breath. God I was pissed.”

He suppressed the urge to laugh, grinning instead. “Only like you to get angry at something like that.”

“It’s not fucking funny Rio!”

“No you’re right, it’s not.”

She brushed her hair out of face and looked at him desperately. “You - you told me you were going to be fine, that it was nothing.”

“Well I’m here now aren’t I? Alive and almost kicking.”

“Oh, okay so - you had a bullet lodged in your abdomen, which caused internal hemorrhaging. You went into hypovolemic shock because of that. _And then_ you lost a kidney for god sakes! And you’re just gonna sit here and act like it’s nothing?!”

 _God, she was burning._ How could he be so smug about this? Was his life that insignificant to him? Feeling like her head was about to explode, she pushed out of the chair and moved to get her bags from the floor. She didn’t need this. Especially not from him.

“No fuck, Elizabeth wait!”

“I’ll be back when you get your head out of your ass and take this seriously.”

 

**…**

 

He was released after a few days of monitoring. Beth had confined him to the bed for a good part of the week he had been told to rest. He wasn’t immobile though, he could do everything he normally did, just with more caution.

_“Beth, you can’t keep me here forever.”_

_“Sorry, doctors orders.”_

_“Doctor’s orders my ass.”_

_“You want me to tie you to the bed?”_

_“Only if you do.”_

He laughed, she didn’t.

****

Maria came to visit everyday, plying Beth homemade treats. She had thanked her endlessly, and joked that the kids would gobble up everything before Rio would even notice they entered the house - not that that was a bad thing.

Francisco stopped by every few days, Annie and Ruby too, sending their best wishes. Whenever Dean came over, he made a point of avoiding the topic of Rio as a whole. All that did was remind her that he was never really capable of caring all that much, that all the pathetic ‘I love you’s he smothered her with all those years ago meant nothing. And okay, she didn’t expect him to like Rio, but at least _ask_ \- even if it was only for her sake.

****

After Rio’s second day at home, they got a visit from an old friend.

Beth opened the front door with best smile she could plaster on, not expecting anyone in particular.

“Agent Turner, hi.”

“Good afternoon, Mrs Boland” _It’s Miss Marks now,_ she felt like correcting, but instead chose to keep quiet. She wanted to see where this was going, she hadn’t heard from him in over a year.

“How can I help you?”

“May I come in?” The way he smiled at her was almost too polite and it sent a cold finger up her spine.

She cocked her head, putting on her best puppy dog eyes. “What is this regarding?”

“Oh, I think you know.”

She swallowed hard, but remained unwavering in her expression. “Alright then.”

****

It’s not that Beth didn’t know this was going to happen, she knew. It’s just that she wasn’t expecting it to happen at her house, or with the same FBI agent that had been breathing down her neck the first time she got into hot water. _Seriously, don’t they have other agents? Or police officers at least?_

****

So she invited him in, offered him tea, which he declined, and sat him down in the kitchen.

“So, you went to an event a few days ago, hosted by William Hadley I believe.”

“I did.”

“With Mr Alvarez?”

“Yes.”

He paused for a moment, as if organizing the questions in his head from best to worst.

“What is your relationship With Mr Hadley?”

“I work for him. Part time.”

“I see.”

The pause continued.

“Sorry, what does that have to do with what happened?”

“It’s procedural questioning Mrs Boland.” _Marks,_ she thought again, ticking her jaw.

“Why don’t you just ask what you really want to ask, instead of tiptoeing around it?”

“What, you don’t have a lot of time?”

“I don’t, actually.” She said, listening off everything she had to pick up at the grocery store in her head. That, and she had to go pick up Jane and Danny’s new sports kits in an hour.

“Okay. What can you tell me about the incident?”

She exhaled deeply, and focused her eyes into the distance, as if to retrieve the memories. She didn’t need to think about it. The story she’d conjured up with Rio unfolded like clockwork in her mind, ready to go. All she had to do was open her mouth and hit play.

****

“Rio had gone to the car to fetch my coat… I was cold.” Beth faked a frown, “But he was taking awfully long, and I got worried, you know? So I went looking for him in the parking area… that’s - that’s when I heard the gunshots.”

“Can you describe that in more detail?”

_What did that mean?_

“I - well, they sounded one after the other, it was so fast. I freaked out and ran through the cars to the cadillac. I mean, it was in that general direction and I was worried.”

“And then what happened?”

“I saw him lying there, Rio, I mean, I didn’t know who the other man was. And, well, you could probably figure the rest out. I became a sobbing mess, called an ambulance.”

“You didn’t see any weapons at the scene did you?”

“I saw a gun. It was lying next the other man, I assumed it was his. I thought maybe it was a drive by or something.”

“Then how do you think they both got shot? I mean, surely if one of them was shot, how would they have mustered the strength to shoot the other person?”

“Maybe there was another person involved that fled the scene? I don’t know Agent Turner, I didn’t really think about that, like I said, I was worried about Rio.”

“You know who the man is now right?”

“No, should I?”

“Didn’t Rio mention anything to you?”

“He didn’t, no.”

He nodded, pursing his lips in the way he sometimes did, and Beth thought it looked so dumb. “I understand Mr Alvarez was released under your care.”

“He was. You can talk to him if you want, if he’s awake.”

“Thank you.”

****

Beth called Rio from the bedroom, and set the two of them up to hash it out.

_“Yeah man, a drive by gone wrong I guess. It was dark, really hard to see what was going on. One minute I was standing, next thing I knew I was against the car, bleeding my guts out.”_

_“Mr Alvarez, you know the other man shared your last name, he was your father. Does that have anything to do with it?”_

_He laughed, damn he was good at lying too. “I haven’t seen my old man in years, if it was him, then shit, I spoiled the family reunion.”_

****

It wasn’t such a stretch, really. _It was dark_. And if Rio hadn’t committed the sound of his father’s footsteps to memory, then, it could almost have been true - if you minused the later events.

Their stories matched, and Turner seemed satisfied for the most part, though he told Beth he might be back in the future, to ‘tie up any loose ends if they arise.’

****

As he stepped through the door to leave, he turned back to Beth and said, “You need to be careful Mrs Boland. You might think you know who he is, but you really don’t.”

Beth smiled, but didn’t warrant him with a response.

After it was over, Rio told her she’d done a good job, that the story would keep them safe for a while. She acknowledged him with a nod, and not much else.

 

**…**

 

Two months went by.

The tension grew so thick between them that it was almost unbearable. Beth had shut down, going almost completely mute about the topic when Rio tried to bring it up. Her whole world had been turned upside down and the worst part was she didn’t even know why she felt like this.

It was like she was almost too scared to touch him, worried he might break under her touch. So she slept on the farthest point on the bed, squirming away from his body because it was almost too much to handle. She knew it was stupid, her brain told her it was stupid, but yet, she couldn’t stop herself. He’d told her over and over, he was back to his normal self, however, their dynamic sure as hell wasn’t.

He’d started gyming, which was new and great. Or would be great if he didn’t need to take it easy, which he did. So for that reason, Beth hated it. Beth had stopped eating normally, replacing most meals with coffee or alcohol. Rio had allowed it for a while, thinking it was just a bump in the road until -

****

“Kids get down here, dinner’s ready!” Beth announced from the kitchen, pulling out a set of plates.

They all came shuffling from their rooms and planted themselves at the dining room table. Rio helped her dish up and carry the plates to the table before sitting down next to Kenny.

Beth handed him a glass of whiskey before pulling out a chair next to Emma, a glass of bourbon dangling from her fingers.

“What are we eating mama?” Emma asked, poking the food with a spoon.

“Cottage pie baby. You like it remember, so you’re gonna have to eat everything on your plate.” She pointed at everyone as she said it, letting them know that know they all had to.

“Even the the weird orange stuff?” Jane asked.

“Carrots. They’re called carrots,” Beth pointed out, putting on her best mom voice, “And yes, all of it. Vegetables are good for you.”

****

The kids all started eating and chatting amongst themselves. Rio took a bite of mashed potato, then looked at Beth with a furrow in his brow, seeing an empty place mat. “Where’s your plate?”

“I’m not hungry.”

He stuck his fork in her direction. “No. You can’t have bourbon for dinner again.”

“ _I said_ , I’m not hungry.” She snapped back, a little harsher than intended. The kids however, paid no notice.

“Elizabeth...”

“I made it, I can decide if I eat it or not.”

“No.” He was more stern this time, shaking his head, “You’ve gotta eat. If you lose any more weight that you already have, your ribs are gonna start poking out.”

She rolled her eyes, “God, don’t be so dramatic.”

“I’m serious Elizabeth.”

“So am I.” The agitation, the frustration was coiling hot in her stomach.

“You need to eat.”

“ _I said I’m not hungry Rio!_ ” Beth shouted this time, so flustered she pushed her glass across the table, the amber liquid spilling all over its surface. Startled by the sudden uproar, all heads turned her way with wide eyes.

 _Shit._ The kids weren’t supposed to see her like this. She’d tried her hardest to be as cool as possible in front of them for the last while.

But it was too late now, they saw her explode, and no -

It was too much.

****

Her eyes darted to Rio for a millisecond before getting up and storming off.

“Elizabeth!” Rio shot out of his seat and followed her. She was heading for the bedroom. He quickly caught up with her and circled her wrist, pulling her back.

“Let go!” She whined, trying to yank her arm away. When it didn’t work, she dug the nails of her free hand into the flesh of his forearm. His grip loosened slightly at the pressure, and she slipped free, making it to the bedroom and shutting the door in his face.

Before he could try opening it, she twisted the lock.

“Elizabeth open the door.”

She said nothing, lowering her head against its white wooden surface. One last gulp of air entered her lungs, and before she could control it, she was crying - and the tears showed no sign of stopping.

****

Rio hit the door, trying to get her attention one last time but realized it was useless. _Damn it_.

He turned his gaze to the living room, and saw four terrified faces staring back at him. Okay, they just saw that.

Rolling his shoulders in an attempt to release the pent up tension, he walked to where they had gathered to watch the scene unfold, and gestured for them to follow him. He sat down on the edge of coffee table and waited as they squashed next to each other on the couch facing him.

“Is mom okay?” Kenny asked.

“Your mama is very tired, has been for the past few months.”

“She has?” Emma stuck out her bottom lip.

“Yeah, I think she’s a little sad too.”

“Is it because you got hurt?”

“I think so.”

“But you’re not hurting anymore.” She frowned, propping her chin up with a tiny hand.

He smiled softly, “No I’m not. But baby you must remember that sometimes when a person has something bad happen to them, they can stay sad, even when it’s over.”

“So is mama gonna be sad forever?”

“No, she won’t, not forever. I’m sorry, I know it’s confusing.”

“She’s sad now?” Rio nodded.

“Then we can’t leave her alone.” Kenny added.

“I know, I’m going to check on her now,” _once I figure out how to get in_ , he thought, “But she needs to let the emotion out.”

“What can we do?” Danny asked, leaning forward.

“We’ve just got to be patient with her, and be extra nice, okay guys?”

****

They murmured a collective answer, and Rio told them to go back to their seats and finish eating. He cleaned up after they were done, putting their dishes in the sink, and sending them up to bed. He told them they could talk to their mama in morning when she was feeling better.

 

**…**

 

Beth unlocked the bedroom door a little while after her break down ended and decided that the whole experience left her feeling gross and sticky. So she turned on the taps in the shower, letting the steam clear her senses before stepping into the water - too hot, like always, but she needed it especially tonight.

 _That’s what happens when you purposefully allow yourself to be touch starved you idiot, you rely on the fucking shower for comfort_ , she thought.

After a few minutes just standing under the water, she started to sway, feeling like she was about to faint. She moved to the nearest wall and rest her forehead against it, closing her eyes at the same time. God, she was so worn out. Frazzled. She stayed there, focusing on the hot air coming in and out of her system.

The calming rhythm created by the beads of water hitting on the tiles was soon interrupted however by the opening of the bathroom door. Rio was quiet after that, not making a single sound as he undressed and entered the shower with her.

The next thing Beth felt was his warm body pressed against her back. Almost involuntarily, she sighed, immediately melting into him. He moved her wet hair out of the way, and kissed the sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder met.

“Why are you leaning against the wall?” He mumbled into her skin.

“I felt dizzy.”

She swore she heard him chuckle. “That’s what happens when you drink on an empty stomach.”

“Shut up.”

“I was serious though darlin’, you’ve gotta be healthy again.”

“I know.”

There was a moment of silence again, where they both just stood there, his arms wrapped around her waist, mouth pressed into her shoulder.

“I think you scared the kids.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Are you gonna talk to me?”

She straightened, blinked away the stars behind her eyelids and lifted her head from the wall. She turned around to face him. The way she looked at him then gave him an answer, told him she was tired of keeping quiet.

“It was painful, and I know you’re fine now, but nearly losing you, I, I just, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. If I ever really lost you, I’d just want to disappear into thin air. I don’t think I could live without you.” She closed her eyes again for a moment, bit down on the side of her cheek. “But this isn’t just about how I feel.”

“No?”

“You’ve forgotten that I know how to read you too. It bothers you. You act like it doesn’t, but I know it does.”

“What does?” He drawled, voice raw.

“Somewhere, deep down, it hurt you that your own father shot you, even though you’ve convinced yourself that you’ve stopped caring.”

She was trying to ground him in the moment with her, trying to coax out the feelings he’d buried after it happened. And the worst part was, she was right.

It hurt, it did hurt. Maybe it wasn’t the ordinary kind of pain you’d expect, but there was definitely a twinge of betrayal nipping at him once again. He wasn’t a good person, and neither was his father. But he’d taken the ruin he was left in made something from it - and the thank you he got? (not that he wanted one, but still) A bullet in his stomach.

But, he should have seen it coming, his father had never been one for praising.

****

Rio watched her, at a loss for words, and for once, Beth felt like she had the upper hand in this situation. She tilted her head, gave him a knowing look, then moved passed him and left the shower.

****

She grabbed a towel and quickly dried off, went back into the bedroom. The shower switched off, and Rio appeared in front of her.

“I don’t want to do this anymore.” He admitted.

“You don’t want to do what?” She raised her head, scared she would break down all over again.

“You haven’t been here for the past few months.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re not _here_ Elizabeth, I don’t feel you with me. You’re trapped somewhere else, and I need you to be present _with me_.”

“Rio, I…” She trailed off, she didn’t know what her defence was.

“You what? You can’t tell me you’re enjoying this.” He motioned between them, “I mean look at us, you’re throwing your health away because we can’t talk to each other. I mean, jesus, I feel like you can’t even touch me.”

“I can’t. ” She whispered.

“Why not?” He moved close enough to her that he could feel her breath on him.

“Because I can’t stop thinking about that night, your shaky hands, your blazer, all bloody and ruined.”

“But baby that’s over, and I’m here now.”

“I know.” She let out a long breath, “But in the hospital you were so… so relaxed about it and I wasn’t. I mean, how could I be?”

“I know, Elizabeth, I’m sorry.”

****

Rio placed his hands on her shoulders, then travelled down the length of her arm and stopped at her wrists. He took them gently, kissed each one, then dropped them again.

Beth placed her fingers on his chest and trailed them down to the scar on his belly, now left there from the bullet. She pressed down on the uneven flesh, feeling him tense up under touch. It wasn’t lost on either of them that this was the first time she’d voluntarily touched him in two months.

“Does it still hurt?” Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

He looked down to where her hand was. “Sometimes I think it does, it’s like phantom pain or something.”

“Is this okay?” She smoothed her thumb over the scar.

The words made his heart clench.

“Yes baby, it’s okay.” _Of course it’s okay, it’s more than okay._

****

Beth’s hands moved back up his body and wrapped around his neck. Rio stepped closer and pushed himself right up against her, pressing his hands into her waist. Their foreheads met, and for sweet, sweet moment, they let themselves _feel_ everything, let each other feel what they had to endure on their own before this.

****

“Elizabeth.”

Beth lifted her head, caught his gaze, “Rio.”

Then she kissed him, softly, slowly, for the first time in god knows how long. He gripped her thighs, but waited, silently asking for permission. She nodded, breathless. “Take me.”

****

So he lowered them onto the bed, curling her into his lap, and she was so needy, so desperate to have that she became clay in his hands, wet and pliable. He kissed her recklessly, pulling at her waist, her hair. He traced his hands up her thighs, lapped at her neck. When he found a pulse point, he sucked hard and Beth moaned. Loud.

Without even thinking about it, she bucked her hips, toppling forward into his body and bit down hard on his shoulder.

Rio stopped his ministrations, pulled back. They looked at each other, unsure what to make of what she’d just done. Beth opened her mouth but was quickly interrupted.

“Do that again.”

His eyes were beautiful and dark, and something inside her snapped. She attacked his neck, leaving marks below his collarbone, exulting in every minute of it. He growled, a low primal noise from deep within, “Harder.” She moved with hesitance, and he told her again, “ _Do it harder_.”

So she did, sinking her nails into his skin, leaving red marks in her wake as she went. As things got more and more heated, they grew impatient. Rio cursed, something in spanish - Beth didn’t quite hear, and he flipped them over roughly.

“Do you love me?”

She nipped at his stubble, “Yes.”

“Do you trust me?”

She was too drunk with lust to try and think about what he was doing. She nodded, “Yes.”

“Good,” He smirked, “Don’t move.”

And then he was off her, sauntering slowly to his designated slide of draws. Beth sat up on her elbows and watched him.

“What are you doing?”

He didn’t answer. Digging through the draw, he pulled out a loose tie and walked back to bed.

Beth inhaled sharply. Oh. _Oh._

Then he was straddling her, “Give me your wrists.” She didn’t question it, submitting to him willing and holding out her arms. He tied them tightly together and pinned them above her head. “Keep them there.”

“Okay.”

He leant down and kissed her, then moved down her body slowly, making her writhe. His hot mouth went straight for her clit and she bucked her hips against him. She groaned, her bunched hands going straight to his head.

Rio immediately stopped, snaked back up her body and forcibly placed her hands back above her.

“You want me to tie _you_ to the bed?”

He had this wicked, vindictive smirk on his face and Beth wanted to roll her eyes. Instead she lifted her head and caught his lip between her teeth, bit down hard enough to draw blood. He hissed, and she let go, satisfied with the red she saw. This time she grinned at him, and ran her tongue over his mouth, catching the metallic taste for herself. “Careful sweetheart.” He warned, “You’re treading on thin ice.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. _Now keep ‘em there._ ”

“But I wanna touch you.”

“Patience baby, patience.”

****

He lapped at her juices and made her sweet cunt flutter around his fingers before resurfacing and trailing kisses up her body, leaving love bites as he went. And good, he thought, it’s been a while, he wanted people to see what he did to her.

Then he pushed into her roughly and all at once, and Beth had to grip the bed sheets to stop herself leaping forward. She was tight, _and it really had been a while_. Her head fell back and her eyes closed, focusing on the feel of him, his breath on her neck.

His hand when to her face, and pressed her mouth open. “Look at me baby, I wanna see you when you come.” He couldn’t decipher the noise she made then, something between a whimper and a moan, but all he knew was he wanted to make her do it again. And just when he thought she couldn’t be any sexier - she clamped down on the finger in her mouth.

“Elizabeth if you keep doing shit like that I’m never gonna let you leave this bed,” he grunted, speeding up his thrusts.

Beth’s legs wrapped around hips and brought him closer - _if she couldn’t use her hands, she would have to find another way_ \- and fuck, she felt the pressure building in belly already.

****

Her orgasm slammed into her faster than she expected, and before she could comprehend reality again, Rio untied her wrists, throwing the material next to their bodies. _Fucking finally_ , she thought, scraping her hands up his back, drinking in the way his breath catches, the warmth she feels under his skin.

He followed shortly after in release, and it was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen, the way he looked when he lost control, completely blinded by pleasure.

He landed next to her as he collapsed, panting wildly. A minute or so went by.

Beth whined, “Rio come back here.”

“I think I need some time baby.”

“No, I just wanna hold you.”

So he rolled over, draped himself across her chest and used her breast as a pillow. From there, he could feel her heartbeat thrumming in his eardrum. She was so soft and silky beneath him, he seriously thought he could stay there forever, floating in her - _their_ rapture.

“Let’s not do that again, okay?”

“Yeah, I missed you Beth.”

“I missed you too.”

****

That night, both of them got the best sleep they’d gotten in a long, long time.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio's got a plan...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote most of this at like 2am with little to no editing... enjoy
> 
> also, thoughts?

“Kids come on! Breakfast time!” Beth called out from the bottom of the stairs. The kids had been super chilled in the last few weeks, which she put down their little chat with Rio after her meltdown. Either way, she was grateful. The less she had to fuss with them, the less energy she had to waste.

****

The kids came rushing down minutes later in various states of dress and followed Beth into the kitchen, plopping themselves down at the island.

“Right, what do we want to eat?” Beth asked, planting her hands on her hips.

“Pancakes mama!” Emma shot her arms up in the air to show how much she wanted them.

She smiled, “We don’t have time to make them bubba, maybe you can ask your dad to make some when he picks you up later.” Beth pushed the fact the Dean probably didn’t know how to make most food substances to the back of her mind. She wasn’t about to stomp on her daughter’s mood, and she didn’t have time before school.

Emma sagged against the counter top in disappointment, “Okay mama.”

“What about foot loops?” Kenny asked.

“To much sugar before school. What about cheerios?” They all stared at her unimpressed. Beth sighed, and turned towards the pantry. She pulled out the box of cereal and stuck out for all of them to see. “It’s honey nut. You guys like that, don’t you?”

They mumbled a varied answer that equated to a yes and Beth filled their bowls.

****

Rio came sauntering in then, a cup of coffee in hand. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a plain white shirt - and he never wore white all that often, Beth thought, drinking in the sight of him. He looked good, unfairly good.

“Morning everyone.”

“Morning,” they all called out, voices muffled by mouths full of cereal.

He walked over to Beth who had stopped organising their lunches to gawk at him and kissed her on the cheek. “Hey gorgeous.”

“You were up early.” She turned back around to place each container into a separate lunch bag. She thought back to when she’d heard him get out of bed a few hours before. She’d rolled over to look at the alarm clock. It had read four-thirty.

He took one last sip from his mug before placing it down on the counter next to them. “Yeah. I couldn’t sleep.”

Beth huffed, “That makes two of us.”

“You too?”

“Yeah. I don’t get it. You, I get. You’ve changed a few things since being at the hospital.”

“Nah sweetheart, all I’m doing is drinking extra protein shakes and popping a few pills each morning, that’s it.” His tone was light, but she didn’t see it that way.

High blood pressure was a thing he’d have to look out for now that he only had one kidney. So he started taking medication for it. The doctors had suggested things like exercise and diet changes too.

Rio had taken it all on board with little problems. Beth on the other hand, she’d worried about it for the first weeks he was back home.

Beth ran her hands through her hair. “I don’t know, maybe it’s the stress catching up to me. I feel kinda, I don’t know, hazy.”

Rio rubbed his hand over her shoulder, “You’ve got to relax.”

“I know.”

****

After the kids had finished eating, they lined up next to the kitchen counter so Beth could hand them their lunches. Each kid smiled and mumbled a thank you, then skipped across the room to get their bags.

Beth had just handed Jane her lunch when she felt a burst of pain crashing in her belly. She inhaled sharply, her hand flying to the material of her dress, bunching it between her fingers and gripping down hard.

“What’s wrong mama?” Jane asked.

“Nothing baby, I’ve just got some stomach cramps,” she quickly thought up. Jane kept looking at her with concern. Beth shook her head.“It’s okay Janie. Can you go get your bag please? We’re gonna be late.”

She began walking off, the first few steps her head still twisted back at her mother, before she’d completely disappeared down the hallway and up the stairs.

****

Rio came up behind her and gently eased the fabric from her fingers, seeing her knuckles turn white.

“Are you _sure_ you’re okay?” He asked, mirroring her daughter’s concern.

“Yes. I think so.”

He turned her around and raised a knowing eyebrow, “Stomach cramps?”

She took a deep breath, hoping it would help, but sort of knowing it wouldn’t. “Yeah.”

He understood what she meant. Or at least, she thought he did.

“You gonna be okay to drive them?”

“Of course.” She responded airily.

Beth figured she’d be fine. After dropping the kids off, all she had to do was pick up a few things at the drugstore, and then she could stay on the sofa all day, or in bed if she liked.

  


**...**

  


Rio strolled cooly through restaurant doors and scanned for the table he’d book. He locked his eyes on the faces he saw waiting and made his way over. He pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at the two pairs of eyes staring back at him - one annoyed, one tired - then signaled to a waiter. He ordered tea, like always, smiling with that signature grin, like always. A minute or so went by. Their eyes stayed fixed on him.

“You are late.” Ruby stated.

“And?”

“We’ve been waiting for twenty minutes.”

“Aight, I’m sorry,” he laughed softly, licked his lips.

“You’re in a good mood,” she said crossing her arms, suspicious of his smile.

“What, I can’t be happy?”

“You’re just never this, uh -” Ruby snapped her fingers in Annie’s direction, struggling to find the right word.

“Not intimidating.” Annie supplied. Not exactly what she meant, but it would do.

They may have gotten there a little earlier than what they were supposed to, but even so twenty minutes _did_ feel a lot longer than what it was meant to - especially when it came to Rio. Even though they knew him better know, and weren’t _that_ scared anymore, they still weren’t taking chances. Now they were waiting - for Beth, for an explanation, anything

Rio shook his head. “So, how are you ladies doing?”

“Now you’re being overly friendly. What gives?” Her eyebrows nearly shot into her hairline.

“Annie, I’m only scary when I need to get shit done.”

“Then what are you doing?”

Rio leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “I’m just trying to have a conversation.”

“Kinda unlike you.” Ruby commented under her breath. Rio heard anyways, and raised her an eyebrow.

“How’s Sarah?”

“Sarah, uh,” she hesitated, “She’s doing a lot better. Thanks.”

“Good.” He nodded, then turned to Annie, “See, that’s how it goes. I say something, then you say something back, _a conversation_.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes.

“And how’s your baby daddy doing? That still going on or you gonna break it off?”

Annie’s eyes flickered with something that could have resembled anger, but wasn’t quite there yet. “How do you know about that?!”

“Hey, relax,” he said, seeing her frustration bubble, “Beth likes to tell me things.”

She sunk into her seat and sighed, “Speaking of, is she gonna be late too? Why didn’t she come with you?”

“She’s not coming.”

“Then why are we here?” Ruby asked.

Rio smiled brightly, shaking his head. _These girls were so impatient._ He’d asked them a few days ago if they could meet up for lunch, with the address of a fancy-but-not-too-fancy restaurant. They both agreed, thinking he was asking on Beth’s behalf.

“So I can’t just have lunch with you guys?”

“No,” Annie pursed her lips, “You always have an ulterior motive.”

He opened his mouth but was stopped when the waiter came by with his order, and refilled the girls mugs that had already been there, then she was gone as quickly as she came.

“Alright. Alright, you got me.”

Rio brought his hand to his pant pocket and pulled out a small black box. He carefully slid it across the wooden table’s surface and watched their eyes widen, jaws drop. The shocked silence stretched for longer than what he expected but sat there and waited anyways, soaking up their priceless expressions.

Annie quickly steeled herself, and cocked her head. “You know, I’m flattered, but I just don’t feel that way about you.”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed at her, “ _Funny_.”

“I thought it was.” She looked at Rio, who clearly found it funny too, before going back to her concerned friend.

Ruby swallowed thickly, and looked back at Rio. “Is this- are you serious?”

“One hundred percent.”

She had to close the floodgates on all the thoughts that came gushing in. _oh boy,_ did this guy know what he was doing? Dean had hurt her so badly already and she was just getting over him being in the hospital and all this was sort of overwhelming and -

“Is this a good idea?” Annie asked, pulling Ruby from her internal thoughts. Sure, her sister deserved to be happy, but she had her own reservations about the idea of Rio getting this serious. “I mean, Beth’s already been trapped by mar -”

Rio stopped her. “She was trapped because car man is a dick.”

Ruby’s expression didn’t soften. “You know what this means right?”

He curled his lips, sucking in a deep breath. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t sure.”

“ _Huh._ Okay.” Annie was thinking out loud.

“That surprise you?” He leaned back in his chair, running his hands over his stubble.

“Kinda, you don’t look like the marrying type” She admitted.

Ruby straightened, and dared to reach out and pick up the box. She looked to Rio for permission and he nodded. She opened it slowly, laying her eyes on the ring.

A thin silver band and a round cut diamond, partnered with two smaller sapphires perched on each side of it.

It was _gorgeous_.

“Wow.”

He smiled at that, a little too smugly.

“Why are you showing us this?” Annie looked unconvinced.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s beautiful, but, what do you want from us?” Ruby passed the box to Annie so she could see.

“Your blessing.”

There was a pause.

“You…want our blessing?” Annie’s face scrunched.

Rio understood their confusion (after all, he was a man that simply took what he wanted, never asking if it was okay) though he still couldn’t help feeling amused by their reactions. “Look, you guys are her family, you mean the world to her. I’m trying to do this the right way, her father ain’t around and I sure as hell ain’t going to her mother.”

Annie huffed out a laugh. “Okay, true, ma’s a sticky person.”

Both of them looked at him then, trying to gauge his intentions. He was a bad guy, or used to be a bad - whatever. He wasn’t that anymore, he was good to Beth, he was good _for_ Beth. Life had been turned upside down since Rio had entered their lives and gotten tangled up with Beth, but in all honesty, it was better, more exciting than the cookiecutter direction they were all heading in.

“So?” He asked with baited breath,

Annie slid the ring back to him. “Hmm.”

“You do make her happy.” Ruby reasoned.

“Okay here’s the deal,” Annie said, putting on her best ‘don’t fuck with me’ voice, “You have my blessing, _but_ , I swear to god if you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

Rio laughed. Somehow, he didn’t doubt that. The Marks family had fire in their veins. He nodded, a silent thank you, then looked to Ruby.

“I’ve had my doubts, given previous… incidents. If you can promise me you’re not gonna drag her any deeper into whatever she’s already involved in, then yes, you have my permission. As long as you keep her smiling, I can’t really ask for more.”

Then there was another pause.

“I appreciate girls, really.” Rio said honestly.

They nodded back.

“We really here for lunch or was this it?” Annie asked.

“Nah, we’re here for lunch too. Bill’s on me. Go as wild as you want.”

She looked at the menu in front of her with glee. Oh he was going to regret telling her that…

  


**…**

  


They all left the restaurant in a good mood, Rio even more so than before. He had permission to make Beth his wife - and well, he wasn’t expecting Annie and Ruby to sway so easily.

He was almost positive nothing could trump the fluttering in is belly, the pure excitement he hadn’t felt in god knows how long. He hadn’t yet decided when he was going to do it, but it was going to be soon. Definitely.

But oh the joy was joy was brought to a halt when he pulled up to the warehouse.

A black unlicensed car was parked in front of it’s doors. He’d seen it before, and oh he’d seen the man standing there with his legs resting against the side of the bonet before. Suddenly all he could feel was annoyance simmering beneath the surface.

Rio parked next to him and got out, not even bothering with pleasantries.

****

“Turner.” Clipped and short.

He smiled, the upturn of his lips only vexing Rio more.

“Mr Alvarez. How are you.”

Rio pocketed his car keys and moved to mirror agent Turner, leaning against the side of his cadillac. “As well as can be expected.”

He pointed at Rio’s chest, “You all healed up?”

“All just scar tissue now.”

He nodded in response.

There was a moment of silence. Rio doesn’t know why he let it happen, he had better things to than play around with the feds.

He had to say, Turner had been relatively quiet since his arrest, and he had to give him that. It meant he could have tied up the last few batches money that needed to be washed without any chaos. Sure Beth helped, but that was only two million. The rest he’d fed through the hotel chain, and a few other ventures. He was still meaning to take Beth to one of the bars he owned downtown.

Rio knew that getting his father shot wasn’t going to go without any suspicion, or raised heads, but he wasn’t exactly stressing about it. It wasn’t going to be a problem.

“So,” Turner finally said, “I think it’s time you start telling me the truth, don’t you think?”

Rio huffed out a laugh, “And this whole time I wasn’t?”

“Come on. Beth isn’t here, it’s not like you have to lie now.”

“You think I’m lying to her?”

“Aren’t you?”  
Rio tsked, “Why don’t you just tell me what you want?” His vexation was slowly turning into anger.

“What are doing with her? I mean, you two don’t exactly-”

“What are you doing with a boyfriend while your family’s sitting pretty back in Baltimore?”

He shot back quickly with a mean streak in his voice, and didn’t regret it. _You think you’re the only guy keeping tabs on people?_ He wanted to say, but decided against it. Turner paled, his mouth opening and closing again in disbelief. There were no words, no sounds, not for a good minute. Ha. That managed to keep him quiet. You wanna play this game? _Fine,_ Rio thought.

“How do you know -”

“I suggest you stay away from Beth. My personal life ain’t none of your business, just tell me what you’re here for.”

He got the message. Turner cleared his throat and improved his stance.

“Mr Alvarez, you cannot for one minute tell me that you didn’t know the other man that you shot- oh sorry, that _was_ shot, was your father. You have the same last name.”

Rio rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand and sighed in frustration. “So what if I did? What’s your point? Unless you’re here to charge me with something, I have work to do.”

Turner kicked off the side of his car, “All I’m saying is, there’s going to be a little more digging before the investigation is put to bed. And _I know_ it’s none of my business, but Beth doesn’t belong in your world. I need you think about that.”

Rio ticked his jaw, and glared at him impassively. “You came all this way to tell me that?”

“Just think about it,” he said, moving to the driver’s side of his car, “Goodbye Mr Alvarez.”

  


**…**

  


The house was quiet when Rio got back home. The kids were with Dean, and sure that would make it even more peaceful, but the house felt empty.

Beth’s car was in the driveway, her phone on the kitchen counter, so she was home - anyway, he didn’t think anything of it.  He remembered with a smile that he still had the ring box in his back pocket and pulled it out, tossing it between his palms. The moment he’d made his mind up, he’d gone to his mother, told him what he was going to do. Maria knew, whenever he’d gone to her about _anything_ , he was serious. Whether that was business or personal.

Anyways, he had better put it away before Beth found him and ruined the surprise.

He travelled the length of the hallway to the bedroom and quietly slipped the box into a sock draw. Rio knew Beth was well and truly past trying to sort out his clothes, because apparently his lack of organization was enough to drive her insane.

He closed the draw, and turned on his heel to leave and search the rest of the house for her when he heard a soft thud coming from the bathroom. He turned slowly, only noting now that it was closed.

The noise came again.

Coming closer and knocking softly on the door, Rio asked, “Beth?”

There was no answer. “Beth I know you’re in here. I just wanna check if you’re okay.”

He heard the same noise, then a whine, and after a moment, “Rio, I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute.”

He could immediately tell that she’d been crying - or was still crying. You could hear it in the way her voice had cracked on the last few words. Rio dropped his head against the door and sighed, considering her response. “Doesn’t sound like you are.”

“Rio, please.”

“Nah, the house is all quiet and you’re hiding away in the bathroom. You’re giving me a fright here.” He tested the door handle, tugging on it gently to see if it was locked - he wasn’t leaving her like that, “Can I come in?”

She went silent again, and well, that was enough of an answer for him. He opened the door slightly, and when there were no protests, he opened it all the way.

Beth was sitting on the floor, her back against the bathtub, one hand curled around its edge, the other clutching at the hem of her dress. She was breathing hard, almost panting, and the first thing Rio locked his eyes on were her fingers. They were patterned with blood.

“What happened?” He crouched down next to her faster than he thought he could move and smoothed the hair that was plastered to her skin from sweat out of her face. He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, “Jesus, baby, you’re burning up.”

Her legs twisted uncomfortably beneath her as she tried to sit up, and the action allowed her dress to ride all the way up her leg. He saw it then - the thick streak of red coating the inside of both thighs, the puddle of blood seeping out underneath her.

Beth let out a sob. “There’s so much. It won’t stop.”

“Okay, it’s okay, just breathe,” his fingers left her face and travelled down her torso, “Does it hurt?”

She winced, feeling his hand press down on her belly, “Uh huh.”

He searched her tear stained eyes. It wasn’t her period, that much was clear. How could she have spiraled so fast?

Just this morning she was fine, she was-

How could this have -

Rio paused the rapid flooding of thoughts for a moment and took a deep breath breath.

“What’s happening Elizabeth, why are you bleeding so bad?”

 

“I - I think I’m having a miscarriage.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's gonna be a rough night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys,  
> thank you to those of you that are still reading!!  
> if any of you still are lol
> 
> ps, TRIGGER WARNING, this chapter heavily involves miscarriage, if this is something that might upset you please do not read, I will summarise at the end if you just wanna catch that, also I promise the next few chapters will be better

Rio’s stomach lurched at the weight of her words - his heart actually stopped for a brief moment. All he could do for a few seconds was look at her with a knot forming in his brow.

“Elizabeth how’s that possible?”

His features were harsh, but his voice so much softer than she’d expected. Beth’s fingers found one of his hands, urgent in its pressure against her skin, and wrapped tightly around his palm. Her eyes travelled down to where she gripped at him and she let out a guttural sigh.

Rio waited, not wanting to push her.

“I - ” she started, then hesitated, her eyes starting to water all over again, “I don’t know, I can’t think.”

He nodded slowly, and loosened his hold on her, running his free hand over her hair,“That’s fine, that’s okay. We’ll talk about it later, just tell what we need to do.”

Beth sniffed, “I need to call my doctor, we’re probably gonna have to go to the hospital.”

“Why didn’t you call _me_?”

“I didn’t have my phone on me, I’ve only been in here for a little while.”

Rio wanted to say something, _that’s not the point Elizabeth, you sat here and suffered Elizabeth_ , but kept his lips pressed tightly together.

****

Beth let go of him completely and pushed at the floor to try and get up. When she fell back down against the tub, Rio reached out his arms and helped her to her feet. After she could stand on her own, he left to fetch her phone, and came back to find her staring at the dark red spots on the floor.

“I’ve got to clean this up.” She said, not looking up at him.

“Don’t worry about that mama, just take a shower and then we’ll go.”

She wanted to protest, but found she didn’t have the motivation - she took her phone from him, and scrolled through her contacts until she’d reached the name of her doctor - or doctor’s surgery rather. She called, and the ringing on the other end, while lasting only a few seconds felt like this perpetual dread that clung to her like a second skin.

Beth spoke briefly, explaining her situation, and hung up shortly after. She called Rio back into the room and told him they should go.

“We’ve got to be there in an hour,” she said quietly, handing him the phone.

“Okay.”

Rio slipped the phone into his back pocket and helped her out of her dress

****

He cleaned while she was in the shower, trying his hardest to ignore the shaking of his hands (it had never been this difficult to deal with a scene like this before) and Beth tried her hardest to block out the metallic sting of blood clogging her senses when she scrubbed at her body, the length of her stained thighs.

****

The drive to the hospital was quiet. Beth kept her hands on her belly, Rio kept his gaze on the road. Everything else felt like white noise. Beth’s brain had turned to static - like a fuzzy television screen.

No one spoke, and it wasn’t like either of them didn’t want to, they just didn’t know where to begin.

****

The doctors were nice, the nurses were nice, the receptionists were nice. Everyone was nice. But it didn’t matter how sympathetic they were, because nothing could take the dull ache thumping away in her chest or the way her insides jolted at the feel of that cold gel spreading across her stomach.

Rio held her hand the whole way through the ultrasound, even through the conversation that came afterwards.

“It looks like an incomplete miscarriage.” The doctor had said.

“What does that mean?” Rio asked.

“It means that she is dilated, and the body is passing blood, but there is still other tissue inside that the body won’t pass. That’s why her bleeding is so heavy.”

Beth blinked slowly, as if snapping awake from a daydream - not even looking surprised at this information, and looked at the doctor with a blank expression, “Will I have to have a d and c?”

“If the bleeding doesn’t improve within the next few hours, yes. Unfortunately, in most cases that is the outcome. Monitor it, if the pain becomes too bad or anything, I suggest you come in, doesn’t matter what time of day. There will be other doctors available, but I’ll be on call too,”she smiled, although she looked pensive, “then we can perform the surgery.”

Rio wondered for a moment how Beth just knew what would happen but then - _of course she’d know_. She’s carried four babies, and knowing all the possible outcomes of a pregnancy would be useful.

The doctor spent the next few minutes explaining to Rio how the surgery worked, and what they’d expect afterwards.  

When they left the hospital - with exhausted, plastered smiles and frazzled nerves - the day had faded to late afternoon, the sky bursting with color. But all Beth saw was grey. She remained stoic the whole way home, not really saying much, but the insufferable guilt she felt gnawed at her with a ferocity that was new to her body.

Rio fought with her about eating something when they got home, but ultimately the rising nausea at the back of her throat won that argument. So with little to no energy, Beth decided to pop a few pain pills and lie down.

Rio walked into the bedroom some time later, and sat down next to her. He ran his hand over her arm. “How you feeling mama?”

“It still hurts.”

“Do you need me to get you anything?”

Beth shook her head and sat up slowly. She took a deep breath and looked down into her lap. “How does this happen? What did I do wrong?”

“Beth you didn’t know.”

“Almost two months Rio. How could I have been pregnant for that long and not have known.” After leaving the hospital, she’d roughly calculated that this baby - god, just saying the word, even internally, felt as if someone had stuffed the inside of her cheeks with sour lemons - _that this baby_ , had come about the morning before the party, before Rio fell to the ground as a wounded man. But she could have been wrong, everything felt hazy anyways.

“Like the doctor said, things like that are possible,” he reasoned.

“I was so busy thinking about you and what your father might do that I let my birth control slip, I forgot to take it, and I knew it was possible but -”

“Don’t do this to yourself.”

She frowned, “But I’m a mother! H-how, just how, I mean I was drinking like a belonged in an AA group, I literally put nothing healthy in my body and god I’m so so stupid for thinking that I missed a period because of stress -”

“You _were_ stressed.”

“But -”

“But nothing, ” Rio pressed his palm flat against her, “The body does crazy things when thrust into uncomfortable situations, you know that.”

Beth looked at him helplessly, not knowing what to say. Because what could she say? After a moment of silence, with only their shallow breaths filling the small space between them, Rio kissed her on the forehead and let her lay down again.

“You sure you’re not gonna eat? It’s getting late.”

“No. I just want to sleep,” she said softly, turning on her side.

  


**…**

  


Rio went to bed later than he wanted to with slightly more alcohol in his system than he’d like to admit. There were no feelings yet, much like Beth, there was only disbelief. Was there something he could have done? Could he have paid more attention? Was it partly his doing? _Wait - no_. This wasn’t her fault at all, and neither was it his. These things happen. He knew that. But he could understand why she felt the way she did, submerging herself in the blame.

It was crazy to think that less than a few hours ago he was getting ready to prep his proposal speech, to hold his heart out in front of her and ask her to take it -

Hell she already had it.

He wanted to hold her, to feel her and make sure that she was actually there, but he didn’t want to disturb her sleep. He imagined that the moment he wrapped an arm around her, he'd wake up the pain that clawed at her belly like a hungry dog.

It felt like forever before his eyes finally drifted shut when -

He felt a warm sticky hand against his chest, shaking him into wakefulness. He could feel her heavy breath against his face. Somehow, he already knew what was happening before she even spoke.

“Rio?” He sighed, opened his eyes. “Rio.”

“Do we have to go?”

“We have to go,” she said, panting, “I can’t do this anymore.”

He nodded, his brain snapping into action, “Okay,” and pulled the sheet off them to get up. “Do you need me to help you get dressed?”

“No, I can do it.” Beth groaned, slipping off the bed, her hand against her stomach.

He flicked on the light switch so they could see what they were doing and got dressed quietly, donning yesterday’s clothes. As they left, Rio glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall.

04:43

It was going to be rough few hours, that much was certain.

****

Beth spent most of the car ride with her head between her thighs, palms pushing against the dashboard, trying her hardest to bite back the pain. Rio drove as fast as he could without causing too much chaos, looking over at Beth minutely to gauge how much harder he’d have to hit the gas. It was hell watching her like that.

“We’re gonna be there soon okay?” He soothed as they stopping at the red light in front of them. He turned to look at her when she didn’t say anything.

A heart wrenching sob left her throat, muffled by the material of her dress. A beat went by before she pulled herself up and took a large gulp of air. The car had already begun moving again before she’d even realised it had stopped.

“I can’t! I can’t -”

“Just breath baby, I need you to breath.”

Beth’s eyes screwed shut, the tears stinging as they ran down her cheeks. “I can’t do this! I can’t - it’s my fault I’m a monster! I’m a horrible horrible mother!” Her hands curled into balls, fisting at the sides of her seat. Rio’s whole body tensed hearing those violent words ripping their way through mouth. But he knew it wasn’t her, she was overly tired, and that gave way so grief could open it’s trap and let loose all the heartache it wished to spread. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, you don’t want this you don’t need this and now I’ve -”

That was hurtful enough for Rio reach out and grab her wrist, hard, and effectively put a stop to her diatribe.

“Stop, Elizabeth.”

He bit down on the side of his cheek and looked back at the road, slowly letting go of her. He waited for her breathing to normalize, waited until she was nothing but soft whimpers. By the time that happened, they’d reached the hospital’s parking lot.

“Why do you assume that I’d hate having a baby with you?” Rio pushed back against his seat with disappointment. How could she think something like that?

Beth shook her head, “I’m sorry, that’s not- I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just too much,” It was barely a whisper, “ I got so close to losing you and now this .” He took her hand gently then, rubbing his thumb over her skin.

“Beth, this is not your fault, do you understand?”

She nodded, “Uh huh.”

It was faint, but it was there, and Rio would take what he could get.

“I know you’re hurting, but it hurts me too.”

Beth wiped away the tears that threatened to fall once again, and squeezed his hand. “I know.”

****

They didn’t talk about it any further, but they knew they would have to at some point.

****

So the processes began. Beth had lost count of the amount of nurses she had to get through, the amount of papers she had to sign before she could actually get to the point of lying in an oversized hospital gown, counting down the seconds - ten, nine, eight, _huh, this felt funny_ \- before the anesthesia kicked in.

Rio sat patiently in the waiting room with other anxious faces desperate to hear about their loved ones. With all the things that could go wrong, and the list was too long to remember everything, he sat with his fingers laced, praying to god, praying that he wouldn’t be so selfish, praying that he would have mercy, knowing that not too long ago Beth was sitting in the exact same position.

_you’ve already taken my baby away, please don’t hurt her anymore, please don’t hurt the woman that I love -_

But then, it was over faster than he’d expected, and everything was fine.

Beth slept for half an hour before she woke up, and when she did, Rio was at her side, already grabbing her hand.

“Hey baby.”

“Hey.” Even though she’d just opened her eyes, just been dragged through quite an ordeal, she still managed to smile - her cheeks were still rosy, her eyes still that dark blue he fell in love with, her voice still soft and lovely, and Rio felt his stomach do a backflip.

“How are feeling?”

“Hazy still, but it hurts a lot less so I’ll be okay. What time is it?”

“It’s nine thirty.” Rio slipped onto the side of the bed, he wasn’t really allowed to do that but whatever, like hell he cared.

“Can we go home now?” Beth yawned, trying to stretch her legs a little, “Y’know, hospital beds really aren’t all that comfortable.”

He laughed, “I know baby, I know, but not yet.”

She waited a minute before she spoke again.

“Rio.”

“Yeah?”

“What I said… about you not wanting this, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay Elizabeth, I understand, don’t apologize.” Beth wanted to open her mouth and say something else, but the way Rio looked at her made her think that she’d just have to believe him. There wasn’t even that much time to dwell on it because not even a minute later, he leaned over her and smiled.

“You think there’s enough space for the two of us?”

“What are you doing?”

Rio looked over his shoulder, then back at Beth and gestured for her to move over. Slowly he climbed onto the sheets and lowered himself next to her, curling right up against her body.

“That’s better.”

“You’re not allowed to do that, I don’t think.” She giggled.

“Let them try and stop me. I’ve had no sleep.” He was being playful, and cute, and for a moment Beth thought it wasn’t fair how perfect he was.

“Neither have I, well nothing that wasn’t induced anyway, and that wasn’t terribly long either.”

Rio pushed closer to her and kissed her softly. “Not too long Beth, you’ll be out of here soon.”

  


**…**

  


After another hour or so, Beth was allowed to leave, having been given strict instructions by one of the nurses to rest for the next few days.

It didn’t matter. She fell asleep again in the car on the way home anyway - there was no risk of overexertion, that was for sure.

Rio pulled into the driveway with heavy sigh. Man he was tired, and now that he thought about how tired he actually was, how his muscles ached, how Beth probably felt a thousand times worse, he realized that this wasn’t just physical exhaustion.

This hurt.

Really bad.

He glanced over at Beth, knowing that he’d have to wake her up now, and feeling his heart clench watching her - so peaceful, so beautiful. His eyes travelled down to her belly, where here hands were perched. Even in sleep her body would not forget.

Suddenly all he wanted to do was feel her, to know that the raging fire in her belly wasn’t burning her too bad. Though of course, he was smarter than that. The pain meds they’d given her would surely have worn off by now and the only thing keeping her at bay was, well, sleep.

Hesitantly, he reached over and placed his hand on a part of her stomach that wasn’t already covered by her own fingers. She was so warm, and he could feel the steady beating of her heart beneath his touch.

It almost surprised Rio when he felt the sting behind his eyelids, the tears starting to well. He hadn’t cried in god knows how long, and now here was Beth, so close to him, losing something so precious, something that was his, theirs.

He closed his eyes, wondering if maybe he needed to sit in these feelings. He already knew the answer though, he just felt out of sorts.

Suddenly, there was a sharp knock on his tinted window. He startled, and looked to the side. Turner was standing outside his door, with that stupid, stupid grin on his face. Rio cursed under his breath and ran his hand over his face. He really, _really_ did not need this right now. Slowly, so not to wake Beth, he pushed open the door and closed it again.

“Mr Alvarez.”

“Turner. What do you want?” He asked, angrily.

“Why so hostile today hmm?” He shifted on his feet, and swept the sunglasses he was wearing over his head.

“Oh this is nothing.” He commented, the bitter undercurrent in voice promising something far more unpleasant.

“Rough morning?” _Rough night too_. Rio only glared at him, waiting for him to continue with whatever bullshit he wanted to talk about this time. “I was actually hoping I could speak to Mrs Boland.”

“You know it’s Marks now yeah?”

“I wasn’t aware,” Turner smiled, accepting the correction as if he didn’t know. The man was an FBI agent, of course he knew, he was only trying to be spiteful. “Anyway, I came by earlier and her car was here, but no one was home.”

“No, we were out.”

“Oh, is she with you?” He peered around Rio and tried to look through the car window.

“Yeah, but she’s asleep, and she’s not gonna want company for a while so why don’t you just come back later, or you know, not at all and just leave her alone?”

Rio stepped back against the car, needing air. He could feel the heat building in his face from anger - from pain.

Turner nodded slowly, curled his lips, “I’ll think about it,” his tone implied that he wouldn’t, “But actually, while I’m here, I’d like to ask you for something.”

“If this is about the party I’m not-”

“No, actually this is about the ongoing investigation on your business dealings, you know, the one that started long before you got cushy with Elizabeth.”

Rio narrowed his eyes, “What do you want?”

“I’m gonna need a complete list of all the investments you have, ongoing and ones you’ve drawn a line through.”

“You’ve been at this for what, a couple of years? And you’re only asking me for this now? You already know what I do.”

“You’ve never been easy to talk to, and we just want to make sure your end of the story matches up.”

“It always does.”

“Mr Alvarez, please.”

He sighed, a mixture of grief, a mixture of exhaustion, but Turner didn’t need to know that. Was this a massive pain in the ass? Yeah.

But, for once, this was something he could do. If this was all he had to do to get Turner off his back, at least for a while, he’d do it. All his businesses were legit, it wouldn’t be a problem. Sure, the occasional money laundering was a tiny hick, but that was nothing official, nothing _on paper_ , nothing that could _be proved_. A case of mistaken identity is what allowed him to wriggle out of his arrest in the first place.

“Alright, okay. I’ll get that to you.” A part of him wondered if this was some sort of ploy, a trick to finally catch him, because _he had been at this for a while,_ but he doesn’t have to capacity to deal with _that_ right now.

“Thank you.”

Rio turned back to car and gripped the door handle, ready to open it. “Goodbye, Turner.”

  


**…**

  


The living room was actually a really calming place to be when it was given the chance. When the television wasn’t blaring, when the floor wasn’t strewn with toys. Rio found that sometimes, it was a nice place to think, to clear his head.

Not that he could properly do that now, not with all the chaos buzzing around with all his thoughts. Beth was in the bedroom, he’d imagine curled up on her side, arms wrapped tightly around herself, asleep. He’d carried her to the bed after Turner’s car was far away, out of sight. And that’s where she’d been for the past two hours.

Rio sat on the couch, his head in his hands, the large couch cushions nearly swallowing him whole he was so deeply sunken into them. He kept replaying the last few hours -

The blood on the bathroom floor - it sent shivers down his spine, and that sort of thing, normally, would never shake him

Beth’s helpless cries, her gut wrenching whimpers

His hands on the wheel, trembling ever so slightly with worry

The unpleasant flickering of the fluorescent lights in the waiting room as the hours turned

The doctors and their lack of communication until after Beth was in recovery

The way she smiled when she woke up

****

He was too far into the memories, the vivid play by play that he didn’t hear the car pulling up into the driveway, didn’t hear the back door open (he hadn’t even remembered to lock it last night) didn’t hear the padding of foot steps on the floor. What he did hear, and it took him a while, was Beth’s name. More specifically he heard it coming from two different people. Rio didn’t have the time or energy to react but it didn’t matter. Moments later, their shadows were towering over him.

“What’s going on with you?”

He looked up and saw that Ruby was standing inches away from his feet.

“You look like shit.”Annie bent forward, leaning her hands on her knees, analysing his appearance,

Rio huffed a laugh, “I know.”

“Are you wearing yesterday’s clothes?”

He nodded, slowly. Turning to the other face staring at him, he swore he could see the cogs turning in her brain. “Have- have you been crying?”

He chose not to answer. But he knew his face was probably a little red and puffy. “Not to sound rude, but what are you girls doing here?”

Ruby pulled a bottle of wine from the bag slung over her shoulder, “Bachelor binge. Where’s Beth?”

Rio sat back and exhaled loudly. This was a hell of a story to tell - and this wasn’t his information to spill, that was Beth’s decision, but he had to give them something.

“You guys want to reschedule?”

“What’s going on? You propose yet?” Annie asked.

“Did she say no? What -”

“No, she-” He coughed, cleared his throat, “I haven’t asked yet.”  The raw desperation in his voice told them he wasn’t playing with them, that this maybe had nothing to do with a wedding ring.

They dropped down onto the cushions opposite him and shifted to get comfortable, but the worry lines on their faces didn’t disappear.

“Is she here or? Her car’s here.” Ruby chewed on her bottom lip.

“She’s here, she’s asleep.”

“Still?” Annie’s face scrunched, “It’s nearly twelve.”

He wanted to comment about the fact that she was a thousand times lazier than her sister, that she probably slept later Beth on most days, that this one day was insignificant. But he didn’t. “I know.”

“What did you guys do?” Suddenly she sounded accusatory and Rio didn’t like it at all.

Ruby wagged her finger up and down at him, “Yeah, you don’t exactly look -”

“I know how I look Ruby!” He snapped.

****

They paused, startled by the way he yelled.

****

“What happened?” She sighed, putting her hand back in her lap.

“I don’t know if I can tell you. This is a conversation you should be having with Beth.”

Annie got up and took a step away from the couch. “Fine, then I’ll just go wake her up...”

“No, you’re not.” Rio warned.

She gave him an indignant glare before putting one foot forward and starting towards the bedroom anyway. Rio quickly shot out of his seat and caught up with her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

“Hey let go-”

“I’m serious Annie she needs to rest, she got no sleep last night.”

She watched the knot forming in his brow, felt the seriousness in his voice echo through her system. She pulled her arm from his grip and stepped closer. “ _What_ happened Rio?”

Ruby got up from where she was sitting and came to stand next to her.

Rio blinked back the imminent tears, annoyed that he felt this exposed in front of other people, even if it was Annie and Ruby.

“Beth had a - she -” _wait_ , no, this wasn’t his choice. He swallowed the words quickly, a painful lump forming in his throat, and changed his answer, “I took her to the hospital this morning.”

“What?!” They both nearly screamed in unison.

“She’s okay.”

“No,” Annie shook her head so violently her hair became a messy halo above her head, “No, you’re gonna tell us what’s going right now!”

Rio’s whole body felt like it was on fire, all the emotions gushing through his veins on the last few hours, now vibrating beneath his skin. It was all too much, all too overwhelming - Elizabeth, the baby, everything he didn’t know what to do -

“No Annie I’m not! I’m not gonna go behind Elizabeth’s back and share something that’s not mine to share!”

He turned away from them, pinching the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut, _damn these tears!_

The pure vulnerability of the action, especially coming from Rio, stunned the two women into silence, their argument, their ammunition slipping from their fingers like quick sand. And suddenly all they saw was frustration.

“Okay, Rio,” Ruby started, her voice soft, “You’re upset, and I understand, but you can’t have a reaction like this and think we won’t have the same.”

After a minute, Rio wiped his face and turned back around.

“Hate me if you want, I don’t care. I suggest you wait for her.”

“She’s our sister,” Ruby argued, “What do you want us to do? Sit here until until she wakes up?”

“Stay, go home and come back later, I don’t know. But we are not having this conversation now.”

****

They did end up staying, for a little while. But the time ticked by and they both had to get home to their respective families, had to make them lunch, dinner, had to help them with homework, had to send them off to bed with goodnight kisses and smiles. So they left after another hour or so, with nothing new discussed between them.

  


**…**

  


Beth rolled over onto her side, slowly waking up. Her eyelids felt heavy, so she kept them closed for a little while longer. Rio was next to her, she could feel by the dip in the mattress, his soft breathing. She moaned, bringing a hand up to her face and rubbing it over her cheeks. This headache was going to kill her. She then stuck her arms out in front of her, spreading her fingers over what she thought was Rio’s stomach. All she felt was the rough material of his jeans.

She opened her eyes at that.

“Hey baby.”

Beth looked up - _oh_ , he’s sitting up.

“Hey.” She responded softly.

He touched her forehead, gently rubbing his thumb over her warm skin. She was looking at him with confusion and he smiled.

“Just checking if you’ve still got a fever.”

“Oh-kay,” Beth yawned, “Did you stay with me the whole time?”

“Nah, I didn’t wanna bother you.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep though.” He sighed, then paused, unsure of how to continue. He could just wait a little while longer, but he knew there was a possibility of the girls coming back, and he didn’t want Beth to be caught off guard. “The girls stopped by. They wanted to know where you were ”

“What?” She sat up, a little too quickly, and motioned for her to slow down. Only too late, when a jolt of pain ran through her did she realise she should have. Beth groaned and shook her head slowly, allowing her hair to fall forward and shadow her face.

“I just thought you should know.”

“Did - did you tell them?”

“They were,” Rio sucked in a deep breath, “Very persistent… I told them that I took you to the hospital. That’s it.”

“They accepted that?”

“No. But I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to tell them.”

“I don’t know if I want to tell anyone. ” Her voice was so soft she wasn’t sure if she’d said it out loud or in her head. There was a moment before he responded, and reached out to cup her cheek.

“We don’t have to decide that right now, okay baby?” Rio wanted to ask how she was feeling, but deep down he knew already, knew he shouldn’t push her. He jerked his chin slightly, a small, sad smile emerging on his lips. “Come ‘mere.”

Carefully, Beth shifted and crawled into his lap. Her fingers wrapped around his chest and met behind his back, cushioned between the material of his shirt and the thick pillows he was leaning against. Rio mirrored her, pulling her tight against him. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, deeply breathing in the scent of his cologne. It was probably the only thing that could ground her in the middle of this ache that threatened to consume her.

“Thank you for being calm when I couldn’t be. I love you.”

“I love you too Elizabeth.” He brought his lips to her neck and pressed a kiss into her skin. “I’m never gonna let you go, I hope you know that.”

“I know. I’m glad.”

Time passed. But they weren’t keeping track. They stayed there like that for hours, fell asleep like that too. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was a kind of comfort they couldn’t get from words, from other people’s sympathy. It was a culmination of the ache they both felt, ready to settle like dust. It wouldn’t stop aching today or tomorrow. Not even next week or next month. But what this gave them was a starting ground for healing, for growing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rio takes Beth to the hospital, and afterwards she rests at home. Turner gets on Rio's nerves a little more about his work. The girls stop by but Rio doesn't let them see Beth because he doesn't want to tell them what happened, and doesn't want to disturb Beth.  
> ps, I know the way I wrote the hospital system is totally unrealistic but this fiction so??


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth's still coming to terms with what happened, and Rio has a word with Turner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi my dudes :)
> 
> so it's been a hot sec, and actually to be fair there's always a substantial wait between chapters, but this one felt extra long lol, life get's busy, y'all know what I'm talking about.  
> Anyways, thank you for all the kudos and comments, like honestly you guys make me so happy when you take the time to comment. <3 I know I'm not good at replying but I do see them and just ugh I love you guys.   
> S2 ending really hurt so I'm ignoring it and I'll probably start another fic after this one to fix all the nasty things they did to us and our babies.
> 
> so, just another trigger warning, this chapter still has miscarriage in it, not as much as the last one, but it's there for a few scenes. I'll summarise at the end again if you just want to read that instead
> 
>  
> 
> ps, no proof reading, no editing happened - we die like men!

The air felt thick and heavy around her. It was still early, maybe seven, eight-ish? Rio had gone to work about an hour earlier. Even with his flexible hours and wanting to be with Beth as much as possible, he had to be there to sign off on some important orders. Beth had woken up with him and begged him not to go, but he had to. So he’d left her with a warm kiss and promised to be back as soon as possible. 

It was still going to be a few hours.

But that wasn’t important right now - well, it was, but whatever. Right now, right now - she was sitting on her messily made bedsheets, a blanket pulled up around her knees. She sat there, her legs drawn up to her chest, with tiredness seeping from her core - not that Beth would ever admit how exhausted she was, and god knows she was trying her damned hardest to hide it. It had been two weeks, and Rio could only do so much. She’d decided what she was going to do, and the raging headache she’d been dealing with didn’t really give her much room to consider anything else.

“ _Look, I can try and keep ‘em busy for a little while longer, if you need time._ ”

“ _No, it’s okay. I’m going to tell them._ ”

“ _You sure?_ ”

“ _I’m sure._ ”

So the two of them were across from her, cross legged and frowning profusely. Annie still had her pj’s on and the image made Beth smile. It was getting easier, but still, at this point, she would take whatever sunshine she could get.

“So B, two weeks huh?” Ruby was the first to speak, and she tried to push a laugh in there, but all that came out was disappointment. At least that’s what Beth thought she heard.

“The sudden radio silence? What happened?” It was her sister this time.

“And you were at the hospital too? That man of yours has incredible powers because honestly I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner.”

It looked like they wanted to continue asking questions, but the statement grew hotter and hotter under her tongue, so scalding she thought it might permanently burn her. So without waiting, and without pretty, safe packaging around the words she pushed it out - 

“I had a miscarriage.”

They stopped, and Beth could actually see their thoughts freeze for a moment. Annie choked on a sentence, sputtering, then tried to formulate something else, and the same thing happened. The two watched her, and all she could do was stare back helplessly. She had nothing else to say, didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to play with the fresh wounds she’d only just stitched up, messily and with shaky hands.

A beat went by.

“Seriously?” Ruby’s frown deepened. There was no malice, no judgement in the question, she was genuinely just trying to make sure it was real. “I mean, are you sure?”

Beth dropped her head to the side and blinked hard, swallowing the tears that threatened to fall. “Well, I recognized it faster than I recognized a baby, so…” Her voice tapered off  towards the end, getting softer and softer. 

Annie immediately crawled up the bed and wrapped her arms around Beth’s waist, careful in threading her hands across her belly and thighs. “I’m so sorry Beth.”

Ruby then reached out and grabbed Beth’s hand, gently squeezing it before letting go. She looked as if she was about to cry herself. She tried to hide the look with a sympathetic smile, but it didn’t do much. “How far along were you?”

“Only two months.” She wanted to say, _I should have known, I should have seen it, I should have been more careful_ \- but she was trying not to do that anymore, with Rio’s words accompanying each burning word, “ _this isn’t your fault._ ”

Sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn’t.

“You wanna talk about it honey?”

Beth shook her head, “No, I don’t. I don’t want to,” she brought her fingers to her face and wiped the single tear that had slipped out at the corner of her eye. “I just - I wanna go back to talking about the things we used to talk about before, before, _all of this happened_.”

“You mean Rio?” Ruby asked.

“Oh god no,” Beth sniffed, “he’s difficult but I love him.”

“Then what?”

“I just really miss you guys, that’s all. I just wanna catch up and not talk about guns and fake cash all the time, you know?” She tilted to look at her sister, “I wanna hear about Sadie,” then turned to Ruby, “And Harry’s soccer games.”

“And what’s been happening on the bachelor?” Ruby supplied.

“That too,” Beth laughed softly, “We have _got to_ find a new show to watch guys.”

She raised an eyebrow, gracing her with the quirky pull of her lips that Beth had grown to love, “You really wanna go back to that? B you were miserable before him.”

“I know, but still, I want to go back to _us_.”

She took a moment before nodding, a confirmation, “Okay,”

It was at that point they turned to Annie, who’d been quiet for the last few minutes - an unusual thing for her to do.

“Your thoughts on this?” Beth asked.

Annie lifted her head from Beth’s shoulder, “No I agree, you know I’ll eat the gossip and trashy shows any day.”

All three of them giggled.

Beth pushed back against the headrest behind her and sighed, “So, what’s new?”

Annie’s eyebrows shot up, “You wanna do this now?”

She shrugged, “Yeah.” Both girls watched her, unsure of how to continue, or what to say next. “What? You guys, I haven't seen you in two weeks. Spill.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

It took them a moment to swallow that.

“Okay well, to sum it up - because trust me girl, not much happened in your absence,” Ruby began, shifting closer to Beth, “Harry’s doing okay, soccer coach loves him, Sarah’s good, being a little moody as of late, but that’s teenagers for you I guess.”

Beth laughed. “She’s less moody than my bunch believe me.”

“Uh uh!” Annie interjected, looking the most awake she had the entire time, “I’m sorry y'all but Sadie takes the cake.” 

“What’s been happening?”

“Sadie’s just been giving me grey hairs with all that attitude. But that’s not the main thing. Sadie, um, came out to me a little while ago.”

“She did?” Ruby asked, curious.

Annie smiled, brushed her fingers through her hair, “ _He_ did.”

They both looked at her, surprised. It took Ruby longer to process than Beth.

“How do you feel about it?” Beth asked sweetly.

“I mean, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a boy. Greg’s having a harder time than me and honestly the drugs Sadie wants are a little out of our budget, but I’m trying.”

“I’m sorry honey. But that’s great for him though, Sadie, I mean. It’s great that he finally came out. You know how I feel about Greg.” Beth said.

“Wait wait wait,” Ruby’s face scrunched, “Doesn’t that man live in like a mansion or something?” 

“Well, sort of.”

“He lives in the part of the city we don’t talk about because the breed of people you find there are a whole new level of snobby.”

“And coming from the neighborhood we stay in, that’s saying something.” Beth added

Annie laughed, “Yeah but Beth you hate the people in this neighborhood. You’re not like them.”

“True, But still. Greg has money.”

“I know, I know.” She sighed, “I’ll either have to start saving again or…”

“Or what?” Ruby asked.

She smirked, “I found these really cute ski masks while I was out shopping the other day - I even found ones in pink! Like come -”

Beth pulled one of the pillows lying next to her and hit Annie over the head. “We are not robbing another store Bonnie!”

Annie gave her a sour look, patting down the hair that had gone static and Ruby laughed.

  


**…**

  


Some days were good, some days were bad. Today, Beth had actually managed to eat breakfast at a reasonable time and taken a shower, fresh and ready for the day. Rio had gone out to work, and she was bored. And so she figured, there were a few errands that needed doing, groceries that needed to be picked up, maybe make a quick stop at Hadley’s office, even if there wasn’t any work to be done at the moment, a friendly visit was never a waste of time.

But that didn’t matter now.

None of it did.

If Beth had known that come late afternoon, she’d be sitting at the dining room table, head spinning from all the alcohol, leaning over the wooden surface for support because almost couldn’t keep herself up, then she wouldn’t have even bothered getting out of bed that morning. She’s been staring that the white sheets of paper in front of her for so long the writing had become jumbled. 

And god, it burned.

_There better be a fucking good explanation for this._

So she was waiting - waiting to hear the click of the front door, the deep drawl in his voice.

It didn’t take too long for it to come. She heard him come in, heard him drop his things at the door, heard him move around in the kitchen before finally passing the living room.

“Why are you sitting in the dark?”

She didn’t answer right away, staring steadfastly at the wood grain.

“Elizabeth?”

Beth closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, took a sip from her almost finished bourbon. “You know what’s funny?”

Rio walked closer and came stand at the opposite edge of the table. “What?”

She knew she wasn’t having the same conversation as him and she was so… so - 

What was this feeling?

“It’s funny, it’s so funny - you, ” She took a breath, “you’ve never taken me to your bar before, and it’s silly because we live five minutes away.”

Beth finally looked up at him for the first time and saw he was staring at the papers in front of her. She waited for him to say something. He ran a hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose on the way down.

“I was gonna take you at some point.”

“The tattoo parlor too? What about the restaurant, hmm?”

“You upset that you’ve never been there? I’ll take you if you want to go okay?” He gestured towards the papers, “You go snooping?”

“They were lying next to your laptop in the study, I’d hardly call that snooping.”

He rolled his lips, “Fair point. What’s going on?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you spoke to Turner?” She put her drink down, and when her fingers lifted from the glass she saw there were shaking. He didn’t answer right away, trying to gauge where she was going, and he knew, he knew why but he wasn’t going to have this conversation while she was like this. “What did you tell him?” She tried again, more persistent.

Rio sighed, walked around the edge of the table to stand next to her, _fine, let’s do this_ , “He was breathing down my neck again and I was in no mood to entertain his bullshit, I was gonna give him some paperwork to keep him quiet, nothing serious.”

The frustration buzzing around in her brain, coiling tightly in her shoulder blades was enough for her to stand up, “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you warn me?”

The latter made him stop and frown.

“ _Warn_ you? What happened?”

“He stopped me outside the grocery store this afternoon, told me that he’d spoken to you too.”

“And?”

“He said,” She sniffed, trying to stop her emotions from breaking her down completely, “He said that I was currently the most likely suspect in the Alex Alvarez case, apparently they found new evidence that puts us, _me_ back in the loop.”

Rio shook his head. “He can’t do that, there were no witnesses and we have the guns.”

“He’s the FBI. He can do what he likes.”

His frown deepened, his voice dropped, he was getting worked up. “Nah. He can’t do that because he doesn’t know shit. Did he actually tell you what he found?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Exactly.”

“But he - ”

His hands shot out and he wrapped his fingers around her shoulders, almost hard enough to bruise through the tension in her muscles. “But nothing Elizabeth. That man has a stick up his ass and an irrational vendetta. You’re frazzled, and everything probably feels worse than it normally does - 

“I am not frazzled Rio!” She argued - but she knew he was right.

“Yeah, you are, you’re tired and this? It shouldn’t be freaking you out as much as it is. There is no evidence. He’s just trying to scare you.”

“How do you know?”

He bit the side of his cheek trying to find the patience to carry on. “Because I know! I’ve been at this longer than you have!” 

And that’s what Beth didn’t get. There were people that wanted him before Turner, and there’ll probably be people after. That’s what this work entailed, and that’s why he wanted her out - and it’s not that she can’t handle it, he knew that’s never been a problem, but she had a family, and that was a whole new game when you started playing with dangerous people.

He let go of her and sighed. “Turner is a dirty cop and he’ll do anything to get a rise out of you.”

“Still. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He waved a dismissive hand at her, because it didn’t - well it did, just not now, she didn’t need to know.

“Yes it does! It does matter!” She shouted, her fingers curling into fists. She stomped her foot, a little like an angry child - but damn it this was important, it was important to her. When they said no more secrets they meant it. Her hair fell forward like an angry red halo and her face tinting pink with emotion as she stepped forward. “You could have told me you could have warned me and then I wouldn’t have looked like an idiot when he stopped me I could have had an answer ready I could have- I could - I - Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because we were a little bit busy weren’t we sweetheart?” He snapped, pushing right up against her, and she ended up with her back pressing into the edge of the table. It almost scared Beth just how quickly the anger turned in his expression, this _thing_ \- red, hot and bubbling taking over his body. He was heaving, chest puffing in and out against hers, his shoulders drawn back tightly - brows knotting so hard she wanted to reach out and straighten them with her thumbs (even though it felt like he was breathing fire down her throat)

It was always frightening - regardless of the reason.

After that they stared at each other for a moment, sharing the hot, raging air between them. It took Rio a minute to temper himself, before stepping back. His eyes travel down her torso and settled heavy on her belly - it was intentional and didn’t go unnoticed. She knew what it meant, he didn’t have to say or do anymore and god it felt like she was  thrown with a pale of boiling water, so hot and scalding she thought she was going to melt under his harshness.

_We were too busy dealing with your problem to deal with mine._

As if their problems only ever belonged to them - that line was blurred long ago.

When he met her gaze again - now teary, he knew he’d struck a nerve. 

“You didn’t need it, not on top of _that_.” He knew he was right, even if she didn’t see it, even if she didn’t like it. He reached out and tried to place a hand on her stomach, but she moved away from his touch. 

 _Fine,_ he thought. 

As he turned on his heel, he heard her whimper. She’d started crying and it pained him to his very core not to turn around, to engulf her in his embrace, to tell her everything was okay, but he had something else he had to do.

“Rio wait...”

He angled his head to the side, still not looking at her, and continued walking,  “Go to bed Elizabeth. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Where are you going?” He didn’t answer. “You just came home Rio. You can’t leave again.”

“There’s something I've gotta handle. Go to bed.” The door slammed behind him with a loud resounding bang - his exit probably oozed a lot more aggression than intended - but damn it, he had a bone to pick now. 

And he wouldn’t stop until he was satisfied - to hell with bruised fingers and blood shed. 

  


**…**

  


His hands felt like deadweights around the steering wheel, so tired his eyes felt like they were sinking back into his skull. He wasn’t even sure what time it was anymore, and of course it didn’t help that he wasn’t used to driving this car - Cisco normally used it for ‘clean ups’, not that they happened often, but still, sometimes deals went wrong.

It had been a while since he’d needed it. 

It was a nondescript black van (because he’d always insisted that if he was going to do shady things, he’d do them in a way that looked professional) and the windows were tinted. The only problem Rio had with it was that it didn’t drive well. The gear stick wobbled constantly, as if an earthquake would break the ground open beneath the wheels, and every little rock and stone and pothole that you hit could be felt as if it were three feet deep. 

His head was pounding something outrageous, his temples felt like they were about to explode. He didn’ t want to look into the rearview mirror to check if the bruise forming (because there definitely was one) was as bad as it felt. 

 Rio wanted so badly to fall asleep, disassociating so often he’d find himself jerking his head back to the road in front of him. He’d done it twice already. The third time it happened, it was accompanied by a loud, uncomfortable thud coming from the back of the car. The thud was soon followed by a low groan. He remembered then that he had to concentrate, because he still had a lot to do.

He never went out of Detroit to deal with these things, but he figured, if he was going to do this properly…

Though he was so tired - surviving solely on caffeine and the anger pumping through his veins - that he wasn’t sure where he needed to turn left or right, or which freeway to take but he was positive he was in Monroe, maybe an hour out of Detroit? That’s not where he’d planned - but it would do. He’s been there once or twice for drop offs, knows a place he can do this. 

It was on old warehouse his father had kept but it hadn’t been used in at least ten, maybe fifteen years. He pulled up into the old parking space around the back of the building - now an old towering thing where the steel and brick whistled in the wind, practically swayed on its foundations it was so dilapidated. 

He turned off the ignition, putting a stop to the rumble of the engine and got out, walking round to the back doors of the van. He wasted no time in pulling them open and focused his eyes on the view in front of him. 

Rio waited for his bloodshot gaze to meet his and chuckled softly when it did. “Man, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to see you like this.”

Turner’s head rolled to the side, trying to wipe the spit that had coated his chin on his shirt. He groaned again, unable to say anything with the material wrapped tightly around his mouth, effectively gagging him. His hands and feet were tied too, the thick rope cutting into his skin, leaving him to helplessly shuffle about on the carpeting in the boot.

“Let’s go.” Rio said, leaning in and yanking him by the back of his collar.

He dragged him through the doors and blindly continued until he hit a post on the side of the room, right next to a fallen in staircase. Ignoring Turner’s heaving and moaning through the gag he extended the rope from his wrists and tied him to the cold metal structure behind him. 

After a minute of scrutiny, he decided he was happy with his placement and pulled the material from his mouth down to his chin. Turner coughed and sputtered, taking in as much air as he could. He looked up at Rio then, “Where - where are we?”

“Yeah, that’s not important.” He drawled slowly, shifting on his feet as he said it.

He tried sitting up, but failed at the sharp tug on his limbs. He hissed, reluctantly accepting his new position. “You come to my apartment at I don’t even know what ungodly hour and you lay a couple of bruises down, all for what?” He laughed, out of breath, looking at him as he did, because he knew that he got a few good hits in too - Rio’s left temple was cut and his lips were red and swollen.

Rio cocked his head, “Yeah you’ve got some fight, I’ll admit. But I’m not the one who just spend an hour long car ride gagged in the back of a car.”

He got a sour look in return. “What do you want Rio?”

“I want,” he said reaching into his back pocket. He pulled out his desert eagle and held it loosely in his palms, “I want to know what your deal is. You’ve got a hard on for her and I don’t fucking understand why.”

“Is this about me talking to her? Because I told you I had to.” He dropped his head back against the structure behind him and exhaled loudly, still struggling to breathe.

“And do what? Falsely accuse her of murder?” Rio raised him an eyebrow.

“She’s guilty and you know it.” He stated, panting, “A drive by? It’s too convenient and I know a bad cover up when I see one.”

Rio hummed in response, looked back down at the cold metal in his hands. He rolled the grip slowly, turning it over to lay in one hand only. He played with the safety, wondering how he would do this.

“Are you gonna shoot me?”

He smiled, shook his head. Gently he pushed the gun deep into his waistband. He stood up straighter and took a step closer to Turner. A minute went by before he spoke.

“Jim, do you know how high your blood pressure is when it moves through your arteries?”

“What?”

Rio dug his hand in his front pocket this time, dragging up with him a pocket knife. He thought back to that time outside the bar, bringing down Eduardo, leaving him there to linger in what he deserved. He didn’t do this often, and when he did, it was a gun - quick and unemotional. That’s how he liked it. But knives, those were different. Knives were personal, meant to torture, meant to draw out the pain.

Rio then flicked the blade open. “You know how the pressure spikes when you’re nervous - scared? If you nicked them you’d be in real trouble.”

“I’m not following.”

He figured he’d been playing this game with Turner for quite some time, and while his messes were avoidable (most of the time) tonight he found himself royally pissed off and overall exhausted.

And with no energy to play with reason, who knew what he’d do?

“I think about it sometimes, but then you disappear for a while, and I can carry on as I was.”

“Think about what?”

“Killing you.” 

He didn’t stutter, didn’t miss a beat.

“Is that what you’re going to do?”

Rio licked his lips, noting for a brief moment, the sting, then took another step closer. He ignored his question. “You know, there’s a lot of little veins running around under your skin.” He knelt down on one knee, the material of his jeans now coming into contact with Turner’s leg. “What about the deeper ones, huh? The arteries, ever thought about those?” 

Slowly, he placed the blade, sharp side down, against the thin cotton pants he was wearing. He started at his ankle, and applied just enough pressure to draw a drop of blood. Turner drew in a long breath at the sensation. 

The blade then moved up his calf, “See, here, here you have your tibial arteries.” As Rio estimated were the spot was, he pressed down harder. Turner hissed. It definitely cut through more than just skin this time and they both watched as the red bloomed through the cotton.

“This a biology lesson or something?” He huffed, laughing through the pain..

Rio only chuckled darkly, and continued with his invisible roadmap, leaving little strings of blood  as he went. “And if we move up here - the brachial artery.” The blade settled on his upper arm. The edge dug deeply into his flesh, causing a swell of crimson - a thick, hot jet of blood instantly gushing down his arm. Turner groaned loudly at that, his head lolling forward in agony. He tried to jerk away, but to no avail, the ropes weren’t long enough.

“Rio, please - I -” He didn’t know what to say.

Rio’s face scrunched slightly in concentration, moved so close his breath hit Turner’s face as he spoke, “But my favorite, my favorite one, is this one right _here._ ” The blade continued up his arm, across his collar bone, leaving a trail of carnage as it went and stopped at the juncture of his neck. “Carotid artery.”

“Yeah, why’s that?” His voice trembled, even though he tried to cover it up with amusement.

Rio pressed down just enough for the sharp edge to catch his skin. “Because every time this happens, I can feel the person’s pulse beating against the knife’s edge. The line between life and death becomes thinner. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be able to control something like that? The power - it’s incredible.”

His eyes were dark, breath coming in quickly and leaving slow, so fixated on the display of red against trembling limbs.

“Are you going to kill me?”

Rio looked up from the knife to Turner’s gaze. And there was definitely fear, but something else too - his eyes bulging, his chest fluttering, his expression almost taunting him - _do it, I dare you._

He gently lifted the knife from his neck and considered his answer. He already knew that the gash in his arm, that the blood loss he would suffer was enough to make him delirious if not do his job for him. 

So he decided that he’d done enough damage. 

Rio wiped the bloodied blade on his shirt and placed it carefully back into his pocket. 

“Even if Elizabeth did shoot him, there’s no evidence, no footage from cameras, no witnesses. You can’t do anything.”

“You think you can get away with this?” Turner asked weakly, struggling to articulate the words he needed with the pain reeling through his system.

“Yeah, I do.”  Rio got up from where he was crouching over him and straightened. He didn’t bother giving him another look before turning around to leave. 

“I will get you Alvarez.”

He stopped, craned his head to the side, taking him in through his periphery, “If I leave you here long enough, everything in your body’s gonna shut down cause you’re running out of blood, oxygen too. It’s still a few hours before anyone will even think of driving by this place - and even then you’ll be lucky if they find you.” Then continued to the doors of the warehouse.

“If someone does find me?”

“Then let this be a warning… Stay away from her.”

  


**…**

  


All the anger and tension Rio had buzzing around in his body all seemed to dissipate as he stepped through the back door - the drive back was ten times more painful than it needed to be, but his head still hurt and that didn’t help. So he ambled into the kitchen with a sigh and downed a bottle of water along with a painkiller

It was dark in the house, all the lights switched off, except for a glow coming from the tv in the living room, the light growing and shrinking with each new frame. Rio slowly made his way over, wanting to turn it off, but stopped when he saw Beth curled up against one of the cushions, asleep. He laughed softly noticing that the remote was still tucked between her fingers. Gently he leaned over and pried it from her grasp. 

It was enough for her to wake up. Beth moaned, shifting her head.

“Mmm?” 

“Beth.” He answered.

“Rio?”

“Yeah it’s me darlin’. Come on,” he reached over and squeezed her shoulders, “You fell asleep on the couch.”

“I can see that,” She opened her eyes then, wincing at the bright blur of the tv screen, “What time is it?”

“I don’t know but it’s late.” 

“I didn’t mean to - oh my god,” She gasped, finally looking up at him, “What happened to your face?!” 

“It’s nothing.” He shrugged

She shot up from the cushions and immediately took a hold of his face, yanking him forward, “It’s not nothing Rio, look at your temple, you were bleeding, your lips too. My god, what did you do?”

Rio quickly switched off the tv and pulled her hands away. 

“I’m fine, okay?”

Beth shook her head. “No, I’m gonna look at you properly.”

All his protests came to a stop as she took his hand and dragged him to the bathroom - he knew they were pointless anyways.

Rio spent the next five minutes leaning against the sink while Beth poked at his abrasions. 

_“Does it hurt when I do this?” she swiped her thumb across his starting to bruise cheek._

_“No.” he replied, almost rolling his eyes._

_“How about this?” she pressed harder._

_“No.” he replied again, this time through gritted teeth._

_“You’re lying.”_

****

He was. And they both knew it.

****

“It’s not too bad, it’ll be okay,” Beth sighed and dropped her hands from his face. “You look terrible though. You should take a shower.”

“I know.” Rio nodded, running his hand through his hair. She gave him a small smile and held his gaze equal in exhaustion. Then hesitantly, she turned around to leave and let him do his thing. But before she could get to far from his reach he grabbed her arm and gently pulled her back. Beth curled her lips and looked at him curiously. “Join me?”

His voice was soft and raw and almost felt like a punch to the gut.

“Okay.”

So they stripped and stepped into the shower together. For a little while all they did was stay still under water as it enveloped them in its heat.

Eventually Beth reached for a washcloth and held it under the water. Rio went to take it from her, but she drew it away from his grasp, now lathering it in soap. “Are you going to tell me what happened?” 

“I handled it.”

“What does that mean?” Beth pressed the cloth against his chest began drawing slow circles as she washed him.

“It means I spoke to Turner, will you - I can do this myself  you know.” She giggled and chose to ignore the latter.

“You _spoke_ to him? Are you sure that’s all you did?” She knew Rio didn't do 'talk', he did violence, and there was hardly an in between. He brought his hand to hers and stopped her movement, the other going to her chin and tilting her head forward to look at him. She swallowed, “Do I want to know how bad it was?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Apart of her was curious, wanted to know, but a pretty big chunk told her she might be better off if she didn’t.

Beth brought the cloth up to his face slowly scrubbed at the cut on his temple, washing away the dried blood. Next she moved across his cheek and to his lips, going carefully as she went over them. He winced each time she pressed down, and it reminded her that even someone as strong, and hardass as Rio wasn’t immune to pain. 

“This probably hurts, I’m sorry.”

“I’ve had worse darlin’, don’t worry.” Her eyes travelled down to the scar below his ribcage, and she couldn’t help but linger. When her gaze returned to his face, he was already looking at her. He smiled at her to offer some comfort, but somehow she still felt unsettled, couldn’t swallow the guilt that still clung to her

“Sorry.” She mumbled, for lack of anything better to say.

“You’ve got to stop doing that, you know.”

“Doing what?”

He took the cloth from her and dropped it to the floor, then placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him. “Stop convincing yourself that all of it’s your fault.”

He didn’t have to explain, she knew -

His bullet wound

Turner’s unwavering attempts to bring them down 

Her - their baby

 _Everything_. 

She cleared her throat, “I’m not -”

“Yeah you are. Listen to me Elizabeth. You didn’t decide to shoot me, my father did. You did make me go after Turner, I wanted to… and the baby, well… you know how I feel about it and we’re not gonna have the same conversation a million times over because I’m gonna tell you the same thing every time, it’s not your fault. Okay?”

It took some prompting on Rio’s end to actually get her to answer, squeezing her waist, a gentle kiss on the mouth before he could finally get a reaction.

“Elizabeth, answer me.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Say it.”

“What?”

“I wanna hear you say it, come on, _it’s not my fault_.”

“Rio - ” She almost felt like rolling her eyes because this felt so silly and yet -

“Nah I’m serious.”

Beth huffed out a breath and tucked her hair behind her ear. 

“It- it’s not my fault.”

“Thank you.” 

Somehow, she thought it meant more to him than to her, but she’d give him whatever she could. This hadn’t been easy for him either.

After they finished up in the shower, they headed straight to bed, not even bothering with clothes because it was late and honestly who cares. 

Rio slowly crept over her body and stopped at her neck, leaving kisses on her collarbone, under her jaw. 

“You taste so good, you know that?”

Beth laughed, breathless, “You’ve told me a few times.” She then tugged at his head for his lips to meet hers and she kissed him deeply, feeling his weight on top of her, savoring the warmth he gave her, the steady flexing of muscle beneath her fingertips. 

Rio then pulled away and pressed his lips to her eyes, kissing each eyelid before saying softly, almost in a whisper, “Baby we should go to sleep now.”

And before she could protest, he’d laid his head upon her breast and wrapped his arms so tightly around her that she had no other option but to accept. 

Gently she placed her hands on his neck and pushed her head deep into her pillow, breathing in deeply.

Sometimes it didn’t feel like it, but they were doing okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beth tells Annie and Ruby about what happened, and they catch up with her as well. Beth then has a chat with Turner that freaks her out so she talks to Rio, who gets angry and leaves to deal with him. He does more violence than talking but he gets his point across. Then he goes home to Beth.

**Author's Note:**

> if there are any mistakes please tell me!
> 
> other than that, thoughts?


End file.
